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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27680909">"Excuse you, Sir."</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Descended_from_Hufflepuffs/pseuds/Descended_from_Hufflepuffs'>Descended_from_Hufflepuffs</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>"Excuse you, Sir" [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supernatural RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Abused Jared Padalecki, Angst, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Coffee Shope Owner Jared Padalecki, Confessions, Dangerous Jensen Ackles, Dark Jensen Ackles, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Hurt Jared Padalecki, Hurt Jensen Ackles, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kidnapping, Knives, M/M, Meet-Cute, Mob Boss Jensen Ackles, Past Rape/Non-con, Protective Jensen Ackles, Rape/Non-con Elements, Torture, Waterboarding, Whipping</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 01:01:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>38,954</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27680909</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Descended_from_Hufflepuffs/pseuds/Descended_from_Hufflepuffs</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Jared was finally settling into his new life after a traumatic past when Jensen Ackles comes storming in and shakes things up. After telling Jensen off for demanding rather than asking, he finds himself at the center of attention of a most dangerous man. Is it infatuation or something more? More importantly, will Jared be able to move on and accept love again?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki, past jared padalecki/omc</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>"Excuse you, Sir" [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2115513</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>182</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>313</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Jared Padalecki wiped down the counter as the morning rush calmed down. Running the coffee house could be thankless at times, especially when every entitled person on the planet decided to order from him in one go, but it was worth it. He’d built this place from the ground up when he’d settled into Dallas a few years ago and he never regretted it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sent the other barista on her break, confident he could handle the few stragglers on his own. He smiled when the bell rang over his door. “Hi Welcome to Sunflower Grounds. How can I-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Coffee. Black.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared sighed and fixed his customer service smile before turning to face his newest customer. “Of course, sir. What size?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"The largest you can manage. Quickly."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Of course. And what's the name."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Ackles. Jensen Ackles."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared heard a few gasps from the small crowd in the shop but he paid them no mind. Yes, Jensen Ackles was a known crime boss and yes he could be very intimidating but as far as he was concerned, Jensen was no more intimidating than the average Karen that walked through his doors. "Okay, Mr. Ackles. Anything else?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nothing. Just make the damn coffee."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Please refrain from speaking to me like that. That'll be $5.14."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He would've smirked at the surprised look on Ackles' face if he didn't have a job to do. "What is that supposed to mean?" Jensen nearly growled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It means that whatever is bothering you is not my fault so please refrain from taking your anger out on me. Would you please pay me so I can make your coffee?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ackles silently handed over a $50 bill, which Jared was more than happy to pettily count out the change for in the smallest bills possible. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Mess with the bull and you get the horns</span>
  </em>
  <span> he thought as he handed over the finished coffee. He wasn't going to let anyone intimidate him, not again. Not after how far he'd come.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He allowed himself a small smirk as Ackles left his shop. Hopefully, he'd never see the man again and he could put this behind him. For now, he had a counter to clean.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>------</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jensen Ackles was a dangerous man. He owned the entirety of Dallas and he wasn't afraid to let people know that. He was rarely told no and those that did suffered greatly. He was also rarely told off for overstepping, which is what made his recent coffee stop so perplexing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He only dropped in because an associate of his made such a big deal of it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>"It's to die for Jensen and the barista isn't too bad either."</span>
  </em>
  <span> While he had to agree that the coffee was phenomenal and the barista was gorgeous, he felt something else pulling him back. The way this Jared Padalecki had looked at him like he was no different than any other difficult customer. The way he'd spoken, like Jensen was no better than a common man. The way he'd ever so politely told Jensen to fuck off. It was alluring. He would definitely be going back soon and not just for coffee. Jensen Ackles always got what he wanted and what he wanted right now was Jared Padalecki in his arms and making that perfect coffee in his kitchen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sheppard," he grumbled. "Jared Padalecki. I want his life story on my desk by tonight. Got it?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"On it, Boss. Enjoy your coffee."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Oh, I intend to." </span>
  <em>
    <span>This and many more…</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>----------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared was closing up for the night and getting ready to head home, still riding the high from telling The Jensen Ackles off a bit earlier. Even if his coworkers were a little scared for him, he was choosing not to be. He doubted Ackles would go through the trouble of arranging his murder of a little coffee attitude. Nothing was going to bring him down from that. Not today.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was almost home when a black car rolled up beside him on the street and stopped. Deciding to ignore that, he wrapped his fingers around the pepper spray in his pocket and kept walking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Jared Padalecki. We need to talk." </span>
  <em>
    <span>Him?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Jared turned to see Jensen Ackles standing on the sidewalk. "Yes? Can I help you?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You can come with me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Because you should."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Should I?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Because it'll be a good time." Jensen winked and gestured to the car. "Come, it'll be worth your while."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Excuse me?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared scoffed. "You can't tell me that this actually works for you! I can't imagine it would unless your bed partners are strictly on paid time."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What are you-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm saying fuck off." He smirked when Ackles had the gall to look shocked. "Look, you may out the property and the business world, and god knows what else but you don't own people. You can't walk into my shop, give me attitude, and then stalk me home and expect me to fall head over heels for you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But nothing!" A small part of Jared was telling him he should slow down. There were no witnesses at this hour; Jensen could do whatever he wanted and nothing would stop him. The larger part of Jared was having too much fun watching Ackles' face journey. "Look, you want me? Great. Join the club. But if you're serious about getting a piece of my ass you better fucking work for it. I don't bow to assholes like you that just take whatever they want. I prefer to be wooed rather than ordered around. Buy me flowers and chocolates. Take me to dinner. Take me dancing. Wait patiently for me to decide you're worth my time. Think you could handle that?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He felt a shiver run down his spine when Jensen's face morphed from shock to determination. "Yes." It was a simple answer, nothing else to add. "What kind of flowers do you like?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared raised an eyebrow. This could be interesting. "I like anything but roses. I fucking hate roses."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Alright, Jared Padalecki. No roses it is." With that, Jensen got back in his car and left him on the sidewalk wondering what exactly he'd just gotten himself into. Challenging a Mob Boss to woo him? He'd certainly had worse ideas but he was starting to think maybe he should've kept his mouth shut.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he opened his door the next morning to a literal truckload of flowers of every kind but roses, he knew he definitely should've kept his fucking mouth shut.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jared is stubborn. Jensen is determined. Pick your fighter.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"Jared Padalecki. 27-year-old male. Comes from the City of Walnut Springs, Texas, with a population of less than 1,000. He married right out of high school to a man named Jed Baston and that was annulled three years later. A few months after that, Jared pulled some money out of the family account and skipped town. It was hard to track him after that since he mostly used cash but from what I could find he jumped all over the country until a break-in incident in Los Angeles a few years back. After that, he moved to Dallas and he's been settled here ever since. He opened his coffee house about 2 and a half years ago and he's maintained steady business since opening." Jensen read over the file he'd been handed while Sheppard gave him the summary.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Excellent work, though I did ask for this to be delivered last night."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I know Boss but like I said he was very careful those first few years. It's almost like he didn't want anyone tracking him."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen scoffed. "Like anyone from a small town like that would be worried about being found." Jared Padalecki was a curious creature but he doubted the man's story was that deep. "Hey, did you find anything on why they annulled the marriage?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Nope. I thought the information was redacted at first but I got through all the security and the file was pretty much blank except for signatures. It looks like some kind of rush job if you ask me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen sent Sheppard away so he could consider his next move in private. He had some business to attend to, both legitimate and criminal, but he would be free for most of the day. Maybe he should drop by the coffee shop again; he needed to see how well his flowers did and he certainly wouldn't mind getting another cup of coffee.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared stepped back and looked at his work. His flower delivery this morning was so large he'd had to bring most of them to work just so he could function in his apartment. Thankfully, his favorite barista, Genevieve, had a disturbingly large mason jar collection so he wasn't short on containers. Also thankfully, it was inventory day so he had plenty of time to arrange them to his liking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So let me get this straight: Jensen fucking Ackles walks into your shop and give you lip. You respond by giving him lip and petty small change. Then, when he stalks you after work you tell him to fuck off and, instead of murdering you, he sends you flowers?!" Genevieve hopped down from her spot on the counter where she'd been sitting while Jared told his tale. "What were you thinking?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I was thinking I wasn't going to let him push me around," he replied honestly. "And the flowers were kind of on me; I did ask for them." He hadn't been expecting enough flowers to open his own botanical garden but still. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Wait, you </span>
  <em>
    <span>asked</span>
  </em>
  <span> him for the flowers?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Gen, all I said was that if he wanted in my pants, he'd better work for it. It's not my fault he decided to buy out every flower shop in the city!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Jared, I love you but you have no self-preservation instinct. You didn't just tell him off, you gave him a challenge!"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I just wanted him to leave me alone…."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gen rolled her eyes and walked to the back to get some boxes. "I swear…. Jensen Ackles doesn't give up. He's gonna keep at this until you give into him. He always gets what he wants."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Not this time</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Jared would be damned if he gave into a pompous jackass ever again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was unloading the pallet from this week's shipment when the bell sounded over the door. This was weird as today they weren't supposed to open until later so they had time to handle inventory. Then he heard a certain pompous jackass talking over Gen and everything made sense. "What are you doing?" he asked not-so-politely as he came out of the back. "We're closed until noon."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen fucking Ackles smiled, no </span>
  <em>
    <span>smirked</span>
  </em>
  <span>, at him. “Ah, so you are here. I was just explaining to your employee-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Didn’t you hear me? We’re fucking closed. You wanna bug me, come during work hours.” He stepped forward and put himself between Jensen and Genevieve. That was when he noticed the goons Jensen had in tow and rolled his eyes. “And what are they doing here? Do you really expect to get murdered at a </span>
  <em>
    <span>closed</span>
  </em>
  <span> coffee shop?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen appeared to be at a loss for words for a second, something Jared was coming to appreciate. But then he opened his mouth again. “I was just coming by to see how you liked the flowers and maybe pick up a cup of coffee.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Those both sound like things you could’ve done during opening hours. Leave, now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whatever happened to ‘The customer is always right’.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That phrase is corporate bullshit that doesn’t apply when the store </span>
  <em>
    <span>isn’t fucking open</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You want me to be civil with you? Leave and come back later. When we’re open.” Jared walked over to the door and opened it for him with a small bow. “My liege.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Gen was looking at him like he’d lost his mind (which he probably had) but Jensen had gotten his smirk back and the only good thing about that was that he was actually heading out the door. “Alright, I’ll see you when you open. I’ll be first in line.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared rolled his eyes and slammed the door as soon as Jensen and his goons were over the threshold, not caring that he hit the man in the ass in the process. He then turned to Gen with an exasperated face. “Do I wanna know how he got in here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She shrugged sheepishly. “Normally people respect our hours so I had the door open to let a little air in while I set up the front.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re fine, don’t worry. Why don't you finish up in the back? I already got the heavy boxes."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She smiled in thanks and retreated to the sanctuary of the back while Jared finished setting up out front. He set up the shelves and started the machines on autopilot, already thinking about what he'd say to Jensen next time they saw each other, which would be way sooner than he wanted. Messing up Jared's day was fine but no one fucked with his employees.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen waited patiently for the coffee shop to open, silently planning what to say to Jared when they spoke again. He planned to ask his new interest out to dinner that evening. He did say he wanted to be romance. What could be more romantic than a dinner at a five-star restaurant with a view of the whole city? He was decidedly ignoring the voice in his head that told him Jared might actually reject him so he'd better be careful with what he said this time. He definitely wasn't nervous or insecure but he was willing to admit that his usual strategy of "I'm rich and powerful so fuck me" wasn't going to work this time. He needed to reevaluate his approach. Maybe try this "speaking from the heart" thing his mother was so insistent on. </span>
  <em>
    <span>"That's how your father and I got together; nothing makes a girl feel more special than having a window to the soul."</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pointless cliches aside, he was going to have to tread more carefully if he wanted to get his prize. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had planned on going in when they opened but it looked busy and he wanted to speak with Jared privately. So he waited until the evening and returned with a box of chocolates as a peace offering. There was no one else in the shop and it looked like Jared was just waiting alone for any customers that may want to show up at the last minute. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Perfect.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good evening,” he greeted, setting the box on the counter between them. “How was your day?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared eyed him suspiciously but took the box. “Fine. And yours?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fine. Are you free?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well I’m metaphorically trapped in hell with a jackass who won’t leave me alone so I’m not really free per se but I’m not occupied with any other tasks at the moment if that’s what you’re asking.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ah, such wit.</span>
  </em>
  <span> This is what drew him to Jared; no one else spoke to him like that. It was as attractive as it was irritating. “I thought so. I wanted to talk to you about something important.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you now?” He picked up a cleaning rag and moved to the other end of the counter. “Better start talking while I don’t have an excuse to kick you out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen cleared his throat. “Right, of course. I wanted to start with an apology.” He was cut off by Jared’s laugh. He decided to ignore how cute that was and kept talking before anything else could interrupt him. “I understand that I may have come off a bit strong and seriously invaded your privacy. You have every right to be upset.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Damn right I do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But, like any other human, I have the right to try and redeem myself.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Debatable but continue.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>How does he manage to be both irritating and adorable?</span>
  </em>
  <span> “I’m going to be honest with you: my initial reason for pursuing this relationship with you is that you seem to think I’m not capable of ‘wooing you’. Or, that’s what I told myself. The truth is, I find you fascinating, Jared Padalecki. You’re the only person in the city who talks to me like that. It’s as refreshing as it is annoying.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is there a point to this?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m getting there.” He tried not to roll his eyes. He also tried not to read to much into the fact that Jared had stopped cleaning and was much closer than before. “”What I’m trying to say is, I’d like to woo you. I’d like to take you out and bring you more gifts. But I can’t devote time to a relationship if I don’t know where it’s going. I’m not asking for any guarantees, I’m merely asking if you’ll take me seriously.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared seemed to consider that for a moment before walking over to his side of the counter. In a well lit area and standing no more than a foot apart from each other, Jensen had a moment to appreciate the physical being of Jared Padalecki. He was taller than himself, but not by too much. He was well built but not overly so, very proportional with his height. And his eyes…. Jensen was always complimented on his eyes but Jared’s deserved a fucking award.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll give you a chance on two conditions.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Negotiations. He could handle negotiations. “Name your price.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Condition one: If I decide you’re not worth it, you leave me and my shop alone. Condition two: I want nothing to do with whatever criminal stuff you have going on. I don’t want your business partners on that side to know about me or any of my friends.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Reasonable. Practical. Jensen could work with that. “I can’t guarantee they won’t find out about you but I won’t broadcast this and if you do end up in danger I will handle it as swiftly as possible.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared pursed his lips and looked like he was about to protest but just nodded his head. “Fine. Was that all you wanted?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not exactly. I also wanted to invite you to dinner. Tomorrow night, whenever you leave work. My treat.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let me guess: five-star restaurant with some kind of rooftop seating.” His tone was borderline mocking but Jensen was going to ignore that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, actually. If you want to go, please dress appropriately.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can I add a condition to you wooing me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen stifled a groan and nodded. “Bit late in the negotiation process but I’ll hear it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I get to pick some of our dates. I can’t do fancy stuff all the time and how am I supposed to know if you’re actually chill to date if I can’t pelt you with a paintball first?” Jared shot him a shit-eating grin and let out a small whoop when Jensen reluctantly agreed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, what time should I pick you up tomorrow?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared shrugged. “I close up at seven and I’ll need some time to get ready so...pick me up here at eight?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Eight it is.” He absentmindedly held his hand out to shake like he was closing a transaction. This did not go as unnoticed by Jared who decided to laugh. Jensen was still not going to think about how nice that laugh was. “Something funny?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared shrugged. “Maybe. You don’t really do this, do you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean, this.” He gestured between them. “Actual interaction with another human. Outside of business I mean.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen would’ve very much liked to deny that but he could not. When was the last time he went out for something that wasn’t work or charity related? When was the last time he had a date that wasn’t from an escort service or just interested in his name? “I’m a busy man,” was all he could say.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right. Busy.” Jared’s eye’s pinned him with a look he didn’t see often. It was like he was looking right into Jensen’s soul. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, I’ll see you at eight then.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He snapped out of his thoughts. “Yes. Right. I’ll see you then.” With that definitely-not-awkward declaration, Jensen was out of the shop and into the cooling, evening air. He really needed to get a hold of himself. He was Jensen fucking Ackles. Jensen fucking Ackles did not get flustered or pent up or whatever the hell that was by regular gorgeous coffee shop owners. Jensen fucking Ackles got what he wanted. And right now, he wanted to go back in and order a cup of coffee but the shop was closing and barging in would be rude and- When did he start caring about that?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Jared fucking Padalecki didn’t let him have what he wanted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck me….</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's the first date, y'all</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter is going to be mostly Jared-centric and giving a little insight into how he's looking at this whole challenge. He does really want to move on but his past is a huge obstacle and it doesn't help that Jensen shares some traits with a certain former partner....</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Jared stood in front of the mirror in his boxers, wondering what the hell was wrong with him. He was fine. He was going on what was basically a date with Jensen Ackles but he was fine. Nothing Jensen had ever done had bugged him like this before so why all this anxiety now?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe because the last date you accepted from a hot rich guy led to the worst six years of your life?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared shook his head and took a deep breath. This was different. Jensen was honest about himself. Jed had been a lying bastard. He couldn't compare them; it wouldn't be fair. After all, he did promise to give Jensen a fair shot. He couldn't do that if he was constantly comparing him to an ex. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a little more deliberation, he decided on a black shirt and dress pants with a white suit jacket. Classy but comfortable. He pulled his hair back into a manbun to complete the look and headed out to meet his date.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It's just a date. Not even that. Just dinner with a guy that maybe you'll consider a boyfriend. It'll be fine.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen stood outside his car while he waited for Jared. He had a table permanently reserved at the finest restaurant in the city so they were hardly in a rush. He heard the soft patter of someone walking towards him and turned to see Jared Padalecki.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared fucking Padalecki who could really clean up. That's not to say Jared in jeans in a t-shirt that was maybe a size too small and showed off his muscles was a bad look. But Jared in dress pants and a suit jacket was also very nice to look at. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You look lovely this evening." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared smirked. "So do you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen quirked an eyebrow. "What? No insults or comments on how I'm wearing what I usually wear while you made an effort to dress up?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shrugged. "I said I'd give you a chance. Seems only fair I'd go a little easier on you. Not too easy though," he replied with a wink. "So, where are we going?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You'll see…."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-----------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"No </span>
  <em>
    <span>fucking </span>
  </em>
  <span>way." Jared stared at the building they pulled up in front of. "You're kidding, right? I mean, Heaven's Gate is </span>
  <em>
    <span>the</span>
  </em>
  <span> restaurant. You need to make a reservation a year in advance! How did you- you know what, don't answer that? You probably have a permanent reservation or blackmail on the owner or something."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen chuckled and waved off his driver. "Permanent reservation and I'm actually on good terms with the owner. Not everything I do is illegitimate."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Right. Right. Sorry." Jared suddenly felt very underdressed and his companion looked like he was enjoying seeing him flustered. "Let's go to your table then I guess."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Heaven's Gate Bar and Restaurant was an exclusive dining experience reserved only for the social elite. The peasants were lucky if they could get into the associated club on the lower levels of the building.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When they reached the hostess stand, a man in a very nice suit (almost as nice as Jensen) was waiting for them. "Jenny! I thought you were coming tonight! Oh, who is this?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"It's Jensen, Misha." The two men greeted each other with a hug. "Misha, this is Jared. Jared, this is Misha, the owner of this fine establishment."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Charmed to meet a friend of our Jenny. Come on, your table is ready.” He started walking off, leaving Jensen and Jared to trail a little behind.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jenny?” Jared murmured, giving Jensen a teasing nudge.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, it’s an old and tired joke but he won’t let go of it. Please never call me that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No promises.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Any other witty remarks he may have had to offer went out the window as soon as they stepped out onto the balcony. It was an enclosed space with only a few tables and an open bar. Lights lined the railing and a small ice sculpture sat in the middle of the space. But the crowned jewel was the view of the city. Dallas was impressive during the day but at night it took on a whole new level or breathtaking, especially from this height.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Beautiful, isn’t it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared snapped back to the present and looked at Jensen, who had his eyes on the city. “Right now, 1.3 million people are living their lives. Some of them are sleeping. Some of them are just waking up. 10 of them are completing a gun sale for me. 5 others are completing a drug sale. Nearly 50 homeless centers and food banks are receiving shipments anonymously sponsored by me. All over the city I have men investigating my competitors, both legitimate and otherwise. I may not own everything or everybody but Dallas is </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> city.” He speaks with the reverence of a man talking about his life’s work, his pride and joy. Jared supposes it must be; being a Mob Boss isn’t exactly the kind of job you just apply for and the Ackles family had been a big name in the city since the early days. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You really like what you do, don’t you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You expect that I wouldn’t?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared shrugged. “No. Maybe. Just...running a city doesn’t seem like the kind of job you could just drop to try and seduce some random guy. Isn’t there paperwork or something that you should be sorting out instead?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen chuckled and pushed off the railing, heading for the bar. “You’ve been watching the wrong movies.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh? Then what do you do everyday?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Believe it or not, most of my day is filled with managing the legal businesses. I’m the CEO of two companies with headquarters in town that I’m expected to make appearances at at least twice a week and then there’s managing my charity work. Not that I don’t have any illegitimate business to handle on a daily basis but I have a close group of people that handle a lot of the logistics. I keep an eye on everything of course because you can’t be too careful but I trust my men.” He poured a glass of wine for both of them. “But enough about business; I’m supposed to be wooing you, remember?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right.” Jared took the glass and carefully sipped. “This is a really nice place; excellent first date material.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You consider this a date?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shrugged. “Well, yeah. Even for normal people the first few times out are just chemistry tests but we call them dates because it’s polite.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fair enough.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A waitress arrived to take their orders. Jared let Jensen order for both of them because he had no clue what to order at a place like this and he didn’t even want to think about the prices. “So,” he started when they were alone again. “What do you do when you’re not working?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen shrugged. “Depends. Sometimes I have game night with my Inner Circle. Other nights I choose more solitary activities. And then sometimes I go on dates. What about you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I like to go out with friends. There’s a nice bar down the street from my apartment and they have trivia nights. I suck at those but they’re fun. But sometimes I just wanna stay home and watch old movies.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like you know how to have a good time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why, Mr. Ackles, if I didn’t know any better I’d say you’re flirting with me,” he teased.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay not my best line but you smiled. Do I get points for that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared just chuckled and drank his wine. Okay, maybe he was having a good time. Jensen was clearly putting in some effort to be more open and he did get some points for that. But this is The Heaven’s Gate. This is Jensen’s world, one of the many places he could exert his control. What would happen if they stepped out of that? Could they step out of that? How far did his control really reach?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His spiral was broken by Jensen asking if he’d like another drink and he realized he’d just downed an entire glass of wine in under five minutes. “Water, if you don’t mind. I have to open tomorrow and I’d like to avoid a hangover,” he murmured. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All in all, it was a pleasant evening. Jared had the best steak of his life (and he’d had plenty of steaks from many restaurants that claimed to have the best so clearly he was the authority, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Jensen</span>
  </em>
  <span>) and probably too much wine but that was tomorrow Jared’s problem. He and Jensen had typical first date conversations (thankfully staying away from anything too personal) without any insults and he didn’t even have to stare Jensen down to get him to leave a decent tip. He actually felt pretty good. “Not wooed, Ackles; you still have a way to go there,” he giggled on the ride home. “But you didn’t fuck it up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It seems I have some high standards to meet.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yes. I don’t let just anyone woo me you know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Basically, Jared was feeling pretty fucking good. Then it was time for him to be dropped off. Jensen had taken him to his apartment and he was just gonna ignore how creepy it was that he knew that given how this whole mess started. He stepped out of the car alone, tensing when Jensen followed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Relax, he’s probably just playing up the whole gentleman act. He knows he’s not getting THAT right now.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Should I give you my number? Or did you already find that when you did whatever background checks on me?” he asked to distract himself from the pit in his stomach. A voice in his head that sounded very similar to Genevieve reminded him that Jensen Ackles always got what he wanted. </span>
  <em>
    <span>But is he even expecting this???</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why would I need your number?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So I can tell you about the next date without you having to wait until I’m off the clock. Remember, I get to plan some of those?”</span>
  <span></span>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Jensen confirmed that he did have Jared’s number when they reached his apartment and handed him a business card while he searched for his key. “I assume I’ll be hearing from you soon?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He unlocked his door and nodded. “Yep.” He gingerly took the card, sensing Jensen’s eyes on him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Is this a goodnight kiss moment? Would it be offensive if I just went inside?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, goodnight!” He smiled brightly and closed the door quickly behind him. He calmed when the lock clicked, then wondered if he had been overreacting. If Jensen really was like that, he probably wouldn’t have gone through the effort of setting up the date, right? Or would he?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No. Not comparing him to Jed. Stopping that right now. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Breathe Padalecki.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Just fucking breathe.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It's Jared's turn to plan a date and things make a turn.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you all so much for the support and love you've given this story! Just a small update: I won't be updating this story for a while. I know, sadness and tears, but school requires my attention and I have a lot of big assignments due next week. Thankfully after that I'll be free but it'll be at least a week until I can come back to this or any of my stories.</p><p>Thanks for reading!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Jensen sat in his office, trying to focus on his work. Trying being the operative word. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He should be used to having Jared on his mind by now but he couldn't remember it being so distracting before. Maybe it had to do with their date the other night. He'd gotten to see a Jared that didn't seem to hate his guts and enjoy some pleasant conversation. Unsurprisingly, Jared was good company when he wasn't making snide comments and he was still witty without his insults. Jensen would love to take him out to dinner again but he would have to wait for that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared had been very insistent on planning the next date and who was Jensen to tell him no? Jared had already proven he couldn't be wooed by being ordered around. He probably just wanted to push Jensen outside of his comfort zone. He had made that comment about paintball…. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But there would be time to think about that later. For now, he had some troubles to settle with his rivals. One of the fresh upstarts was having trouble remembering the boundaries and they needed to learn that lesson quickly before more sales were interrupted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>----------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared had a very nice, lowkey date planned out: baking cookies and watching movies. Just some simple, fun fluffy stuff. Nothing could go wrong.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So why couldn’t he break the good news to Jensen?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe it was that it would involve being inside his apartment for an extended period of time. Maybe it was that he hadn’t properly baked anything in months and he was afraid of fucking it up. Maybe it was just that he wasn’t sure if Jensen would actually like the idea.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Whatever. Jensen totally blindsided him with that dinner date so this would only be fair, right?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>[Text to: Jensen the Jerk]: Date night. My place. Tomorrow at 6pm.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>[From: Jensen the Jerk]: You have such a way with words</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>[To: Jensen the Jerk]: Hey! Sarcasm is supposed to be my thing!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>[From: Jensen the Jerk]: Pardon me, milord. I’ll og back to romantic speak only posthaste</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>[To: Jensen the Jerk]: Ha ha</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>[From: Jensen the Jerk]: I’m here all week</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>[To: Jensen the Jerk]: Oh hey don’t forget to wear something comfortable</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>[From: Jensen the Jerk]: Define comfortable?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>[To: Jensen the Jerk]: Something you wouldn’t hate getting messy</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>[From: Jensen the Jerk]: How worried should I be?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>[To: Jensen the Jerk]: Wouldn't you like to know ;)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>[From: Jensen the Jerk]: Yes. That's why I asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>[To: Jensen the Jerk]: 😈😈😈</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared chuckled and set his phone down. He still had some shopping to do before date night.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen scratched the back of his neck while he waited for Jared to answer the door. It's not that he never wore casual clothes, it's just that he wore them so rarely and he certainly never wore them outside the house. Wearing his suits, he was ready for the world with at least three layers of expensive and perfectly tailored fabric between them. In a henley and jeans, he felt a little exposed. At least it was chilly enough to warrant him wearing a jacket and he thanked any god who was listening that his old "rebel phase" leather jacket still fit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared opened the door suddenly and the world stopped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared Padalecki in jeans and a t-shirt? Attractive. Jared Padalecki in a suit jacket and dress pants? Unfairly hot. Jared Padalecki in a crop top and cut-off shorts? Should be illegal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck me….</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey there."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen snapped out of his brief hotness-induced daze. "Hey yourself." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Come on, everything's ready in the kitchen." He turned around (which should also be illegal in those shorts) and led Jensen inside. "Might wanna take that jacket off; flour can be a bitch."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Do I get to know what we're doing now?" He hung the jacket up on the coat rack. He thought he heard Jared gasp but when he turned to see the other man was just popping a chocolate chip in his mouth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yep! We're baking cookies and watching a cheesy movie. And you're already here so it's too late to back out." He grinned impishly and beckoned Jensen closer. "Just be glad we're not making a cake because I </span>
  <em>
    <span>would</span>
  </em>
  <span> smear icing on your face."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen rolled his eyes and joined him in the kitchen. It was a decent-sized space given the size of the apartment so they had some room to move around without stepping on each other. "So that's it? Baking and movie might?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yeah. Is that a problem?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen gave him a soft smile. "No. Not at all. So where do we start?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Jared sipped his water and absolutely did not check out the way Jensen’s arms flexed while he mixed the cookie batter. It was bad enough when he showed up in those jeans but then the leather jacket came off and Jared nearly had a heart attack. Those suits should be locked away for the crime of covering up that body.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Focus Jared. Focus.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was nice to see Jensen in a more relaxed environment. He had a feeling some of Jensen’s personality was performative and it was nice to see more of his real self. Real Jensen was intentionally funny. Real Jensen was relaxed. Real Jensen was really nice to be around.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I still can’t believe you’ve never made chocolate chip cookies before.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I told you, I have. Just not from scratch.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Same thing.” He walked over and put parchment paper on the cookie sheets. “Okay, that should be enough mixing. We’ll put them here and then watch a movie while they cook.” Reaching around Jensen, he pulled an ice cream scoop from the drawer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen gave him a look. “Those are gonna be some big cookies.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m a growing boy,” he quipped. “Plus we can’t have too much extra batter or I’ll eat it all. Why don’t you start cleaning up and we can pick out a movie once these are in the oven?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen nodded and started collecting the stray utensils. Jared scooped the cookies and Jensne figured out where everything went. Everything was going fine until it came time to put up the ingredients.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>See, Jared is a little taller than Jensen. Not by much, but still tall and where he put shit in his apartment reflected that, especially the pantry. His pantry had an extra, smaller shelf at the very top where most of his baking supplies went since he didn’t use them often. At 6’4”, Jared could reach it easily. Jensen’s 6’1” was not as easy. He tried to put the flour on the shelf. The flour decided to tip over and fall on him, leaving white dust in his hair and over most of his clothes. Not even his face was spared, most of it covered in thin white streaks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Unsurprisingly, Jared found this absolutely hilarious. “Ohmyfuckinggod you are COVERED!” He was so distracted he didn’t notice the mischievous glint in Jensen’s eyes and soon found himself caught in a flour tackle. He wasn’t going to complain though, because this felt real. It was fun. It was-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen holding his arms down and straddling him and suddenly all he could feel was the floor and </span>
  <em>
    <span>he can’tmovefuckfuckfuckcan’tmovecan’tmovepleasedon’tpleasei’msorryplease-</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“-ared? Jared!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared was panting; panting is good, panting means breathing. He could move his arms; moving his arms was good. Jensen wasn’t on top of him anymore which meant he could move everything else too. Wait? Where did Jensen go?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jared? You back with me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He glanced to the side and </span>
  <em>
    <span>wow</span>
  </em>
  <span> those are some green eyes. Jensen was sitting next to him, close enough that Jared could count his freckles if he was so inclined. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine.” He sat up and dusted off what he could. “I’ll put the cookies in the oven. You should go clean up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure? You seemed-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen put his hands up in surrender and stepped out. “Bathroom is….”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Down the hall, second door on the left.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Breathe. Breathe….</span>
  </em>
  <span> He hadn’t had a flashback like that in a while. He used the counter to pull himself back on his feet and took a few deep breaths before resuming normal programming. He was fine. He was just fine.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>----------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen cleaned off as much flour as he could from his face and hands but there wasn’t much he could do about his clothes. Thank god he hadn’t worn anything nice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>While he tried, and failed, to clean the flour out of his hair without making a mess, he thought back on what happened in the kitchen. Everything had seemed fine when he took Jared down. Hell, they were both laughing. Jensen had adjusted himself so he was comfortably straddling Jared as opposed ot awkwardly laying on top of him but that seemed to set something off. Jared had looked scared, terrified even. Which didn’t make much sense. Sure, Jensen was a dangerous man but most of his power came in words and sending out orders. Hell, he hadn’t been in a fistfight in a while and Jared definitely had him beat in size. So why had Jared looked at him with such terror?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A small part of him wanted to dig deeper and find out more. Ask questions and send out some bribes. But this wasn’t a competitor. This was Jared. Jared who was willing to give a bastard like Jensen a chance at an actual relationship that wasn’t surrounded by money or politics. He probably wouldn’t appreciate Jensen snooping around.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Satisfied with his conclusion and less so with his cleanup, he went back out to the living area of the apartment where Jared was already seated, in new, far more modest clothes, and looking through his DVD collection. He shot Jensen a weak smile and pat the couch next to him. “You’re the guest, you get to pick.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This was new. Quiet Jared was new. Not as strange as Scared Jared but new. He could work with it though. “Do you have </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Godfather</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Jensen hated </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Godfather</span>
  </em>
  <span> movie; it was overblown in his opinion. But the suggestion made Jared laugh and tease him about being a fanboy and fuck if that didn’t make him feel all warm and fuzzy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I think I could fall in love with you, Jared Padalecki….</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A few days later, Jensen’s phone rang in his office.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ackles.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey….”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He set aside his paperwork. “Jared. What can I do for you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He heard a deep sigh on the other end. “Look, I know this is really soon but…. I’ve been thinking.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s worrisome.”</span>
  <span></span>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will you let me talk?” he barked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen cleared his throat. “Sorry. Reflex. You were saying?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah… Look, I- I like you. Like, kind of a lot. More than I expected. You aren’t a complete asshole when you don’t want to be. And I appreciate that, a lot. And I’ve been trying to look at you more as a person than a crime lord or whatever you call yourself. And…. Okay, what I’m trying to say is I wanna give this a legitimate shot. Like, exclusive, public relationship.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well that was...something. “You know if we go public with this it would put you in the direct line of several snipers, both criminal and not, right.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I do. So before I do that, I wanna ask you something.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anything.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...How do you feel about bisexuals?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen’s face scrunched in confusion. “I feel like they exist and are human and face a lot of bullshit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah but..you’d date one? And you wouldn’t judge your partner based on stereotypes and test them all the time?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes….Jared I-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Look I’ve had some not-great experiences and it’s kind of sad but you’re one of the nicest potential partners I’ve ever had but none of this means anything if you can’t accept that I’m a bisexual man.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ah.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Well, that gave some insight to his behavior the other day. “I do accept that. As long as you can accept the part of my life that involves running a very sophisticated crime ring.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do accept that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He smiled. “Great. So, is it my turn to pick a date?”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sweet little moments with a touch of angst</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Jared and Jensen are slowly figuring out their relationship. Here are some snippets that the narrator of the story chose for you to view for both cuteness and for moving the story along.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"A car show? Really?" Jared rolled his eyes but smiled and squeezed Jensen's hand. "Do you do stuff like this a lot?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Spend a lot of money in one place because I like nice things? Not nearly as much as I'd like to. I get stuck behind a desk most days; it's nice to be able to get out and do something I just wanna do." He dragged Jared into the showroom, positively radiating with excitement. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared gladly followed him around while he rambled about cars and models and engines and who knows what else. Jared doesn't know because he got distracted watching Jensen's lips and hands and occasionally his ass. He was having a good time, even if he didn't get it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Of course, this being a place where many manly men gathered, someone had a problem with two men holding hands in their general vicinity. One particularly bigoted gentleman muttered a slur within their hearing distance and Jared felt more than saw Jensen tense. Wordlessly, he pulled his boyfriend closer and kissed him. "Ignore that bastard," he murmured when he pulled away. "Come on, let's find a car for you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>----------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen walked into the coffee house and frowned when he didn't see Jared at the counter like usual. He waited politely to the side while Genevieve finished up with the line of customers, keeping an eye on the door to the back storage room. When the line had died down and Jared still hadn't emerged, he approached the counter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Is Jared in today?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, Mr. Ackles. He called in early this morning and said he needed to stay home. Didn’t say why but I’m gonna guess he’s sick since that’s the only excuse he ever gives himself to miss work.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Ms. Cortese.” Well that wouldn’t do at all. Jared hadn’t mentioned anything about being sick. Sure, they hadn’t made any plans but Jensen had an unexpectedly open afternoon and he’d wanted to make the most of it. Maybe there was still a chance…..</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He knocked on Jared’s door an hour later with warm soup and various over-the-counter medications in hand. When his surprised, and definitely ill, boyfriend opened the door, he pushed his way inside and made him sit down. “Genevieve told me you might be sick today so I thought I’d stop in. Looks like she was right.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared sniffed and rolled his eyes. “Jensen, I’m-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Going to accept a little help from your boyfriend because I’m not leaving until you do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You could get sick.”</span>
  <span></span>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t care.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I won’t be much fun.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not what I’m here for.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared watched him set the medications out on the counter. “I took Tylenol earlier,” he murmured. “Couldn’t really stomach any breakfast either.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen smiled and walked over to kiss his cheek. “I think I can help with that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-----------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared called Jensen for the fifth time in 20 minutes, frowning when he still didn’t get an answer. They were supposed to meet an hour ago. It wasn’t like Jensen to stand him up like this; canceled dates were usually announced with a bouquet flowers and chocolates from some upscale boutique paired with many, many texts about how sorry he was and a call as soon as he was free. Jensen Ackles didn’t do radio silence. Radio silence was worrying.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He called again. Still nothing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Five more minutes passed. Another call. Nothing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He really wished he had another number to call. A bodyguard or something.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Five more minutes. Nothing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Out of nowhere, a very familiar black car came around the corner and he could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Was it Jensen? Why didn’t he call earlier? Was it someone else? Did something happen? Was Jensen okay? Was he even alive? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The car slowed to a stop and a very sheepish but thankfully not-dead Jensen stepped out of the car. “Jared I-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wrapped Jensen in a bone-crushing hug, nearly tackling him in the process. He let out a soft sigh of relief and just held his boyfriend as close as he could. “You’d better have a good fucking reason for not answering your phone,” he muttered. “I got worried about you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know, I know.” Jensen pat his back. “Something went down at work today and I had to ditch the phone. I would’ve called but I didn’t want anything getting back to you. Sorry I made you worry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay. As long as you’re safe….”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Given my job I’m nev-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shut up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“....Yes, sir.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen sat across from Jared at their usual balcony table atop the Heaven’s Gate. “It’s not fair you get to look that nice in an off the rack suit jacket,” he commented, sipping his whiskey. “Do you know how long I sit in fittings to look this good?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s worth it.” Jared smirked, leaning across to grab a bite of Jensen’s pie. “You know, I didn’t think I’d get used to eating in fancy places like this but this is nice.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And I didn’t think I’d get used to wandering around in casual clothes. I don’t think I’ve worn so much denim since high school.” He chuckled and set his class down. “Happy six-month anniversary.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Still can’t believe you talked me into that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come on, it’s cute. Some might even consider it romantic.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s childish. High school couples do month-anniversaries.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And some of those couples go on to be excellent partners. My parents were high-school sweethearts.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good for them.” Jensen detected some bitterness in Jared’s tone but that wasn’t what tonight was about. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So you don’t want your present then?” he asked, pulling a long, thin box out of his suit pocket.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course I want my present.” Jared faked offense, taking the box. “I just think this is a silly occasion.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Open it, would you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared’s eyes went wide when he saw the engraved Rolex in the box. “Jensen….”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I wanted to get you something nice.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This isn’t nice, this is extravagant. Thank you….” He carefully fit the watch on his wrist, like he was afraid it might break, before reaching down under the table and presenting a medium-sized giftbag. “Mine seems a little dull now….”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure it’s perfect.” And it was. It was a framed selfie of their second time baking together, cupcakes this time. Unsurprisingly, they’d ended up in a frosting war which led to this little moment, immortalized in both the digital and the physical realm. Jensen was leaning on Jared’s shoulder, reaching for the phone that was held ever further out of reach. Jared had managed to snap the photo when they were both laughing. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had that kind of spontaneous fun with someone. “Your camera skills are impeccable.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, I need to get blackmail against you somehow.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did I say impeccable? I meant insufferable.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know, I know. You can have the sarcasm back now.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A little bit of set-up before we get into the big story piece. Angst incoming.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Jensen was having a good night. All of his businesses were running smoothly, his boyfriend made brownies for him, they were watching a movie, Jared was laying in his lap. Overall, everything was great.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And then the phone rang.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His relief that his own phone wasn’t ringing (a disaster for sure) was quickly diminished when he saw Jared staring blankly at his own phone. Without another word, he got up and walked into the other room before he answered it and it sounded like he was speaking as quietly as possible. Jensen frowned and paused the movie, hoping he could hear some of the conversation without getting up to snoop. He knew he shouldn’t even be trying that but old habits were hard to break and he had reason to be worried. Jared hardly ever left the room to answer a call during date night, assuming he even answered. This was strange.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re kidding me, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nope,” answered Daneel. “She said she tried to call you herself but you didn’t pick up and she didn’t have an address for you so she asked me to call.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you agreed?!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jared, she’s your sister and you know she wouldn’t invite you if she didn’t want you there. And it’s been six years; she misses you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Dani, you know I can’t say no. People will talk.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And she’s your sister.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, you said that. But you know what’ll happen if I go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A soft sigh came from the other end. “Jared, you can’t control that. And if I were you, I wouldn’t want to come back either but this is family. It’s Meg’s big day and she wants you to be there. You only have to be here for a few days. Heck, you could leave right after the ceremony if you wanted to I’m sure. Would you think about it at least?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You know what I’m gonna say.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re a good brother, Jared. Now, what’s bothering you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Besides the prospect of returning to a town that hates me and a family that turned their backs on me?” He scoffed. “Look….I’m not sure I’m coming alone.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He heard a soft gasp from the other end of the line. “Jared, did you finally get back on the horse?! Who is it? Are they cute? Can I see pictures?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He chuckled softly. Daneel Harris was one of his only friends from back home. She was the first person he ever came out to and one of the only people who was there for him when his world fell apart. Hell, she was the one who helped him get away from it all. Even if the circumstances could be better, he was glad to hear from her. “Well, his name is Jensen and he is super hot. I’m actually having a date night with him right now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well what are you talking to me for then?” She laughed. “I’m sure your family would love to meet him as much as I do. Ask him if he wants to come and I’ll tell your sister to save an extra seat.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I haven’t asked him yet.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, just give him those puppy eyes of yours. Not even a cold-blooded killer could resist those.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You flatter me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They spent a few more minutes teasing each other before Jared hung up and went back out to finish the movie. He saw Jensen sitting on the couch and figured by the unnaturally straight way he was sitting that he’d been trying to listen in without getting up and making it obvious. Smiling softly and shaking his head, he walked around the couch and sat in his lap. “Hi.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen smiled and settled his hands on Jared’s hips. “Hey there. Did you have fun?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He snorted and rolled his eyes. “Oh yeah, loads of fun. Just me, alone, in my room, on the phone with a pretty girl….” He chuckled when Jensen rolled his eyes. “Quit, you love my sarcasm.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Eh, it’s okay. I like you more.” Jensen smirked and gently ran his hands down Jared’s thighs. “So, what was that call about? You left really quickly.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared bit his lip. “I’ve been invited to my sister’s wedding. It’s in a few weeks and I could bring a plus one if you wanna go….” He wasn’t sure if he wanted Jensen to say yes or not. Sure, having him there would probably be good for moral support. But Jensen coming to his hometown could mean him finding out things Jared wasn’t quite ready for him to know about yet. People talked a lot in a small town and Jensen was a very, very good listener. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...How long would we be staying?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Couple of days at the most. Truth be told I don’t want to spend too much time there. I...I don’t have great memories there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen squeezed his thighs. “You don’t have to go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I do. It’s family and people will talk.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not people here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared rolled his eyes. “It’ll look bad if I don’t go. Besides, it’s been a while. Maybe it won’t be that bad….” He didn’t think anything would have changed but he’d already talked himself into going and he couldn’t let Jensen talk him out of it, not when he already said he’d go. “You don’t have to come with me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen gave him one of those looks he hadn’t figured out how to read yet but always made him feel like he was being x-rayed. “I’ll go,” he said softly. “I’ll need to move some things around but I can take a few days off. Hell, I can take a week off and we can go somewhere after the wedding and have some fun. What do you think of Austin?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think that sounds nice.” He smiled softly and let Jensen talk about all the fun things they could do after the wedding. Maybe this wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen got back to his house and started looking through his work schedule. He was going to need to work some magic but he could get at least a week off, maybe a week and a half. Something told him they were going to need that time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared never talked about his hometown. He barely even mentioned his family and that was only when Jensen talked about his. All he knew was that Jared had a married brother, an apparently soon-to-be-married sister, and a mom and a dad. He didn’t know what they were like or even if they knew about Jared’s sexuality. Maybe that’s why he was so nervous? No, he’d already been married to a man before. Unless that had caused the split? Once again he cursed the minimal records available on Jared’s early life.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But that didn’t matter now. He was going to Megan’s wedding and he was going to sit next to Jared and meet his family. For a week and a half, barring emergencies, he wasn’t going to be Jensen Ackles, Mob Boss. He was going to be Jensen, the charming boyfriend. Whatever had Jared so spooked about going back home, he was going to be there to support him and maybe get some good stories out of it all. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Meeting the family was definitely new territory but he could handle it. He’d met plenty of families before and he was pretty sure this one didn’t deal drugs and guns. He’d been doing this whole boyfriend thing for six months, surely he could figure this out. Anything for Jared.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He smiled as he finished rearranging his schedule. Yeah, he could definitely handle this. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>They make it to Jared's hometown and both have to deal with reality</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I was planning on this chapter including the wedding but the set-up took more words/time than I thought. Wedding awkwardness will definitely be in the next chapter though. I hope you enjoy it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Jared went over the contents of his suitcase one last time. Pajamas? Check. Toothbrush? Check. The will to do this? Debatable. He was just glad his ex wouldn't be anywhere near the event. Apparently, no one had seen him around in a while. He'd felt an indescribable amount of relief knowing there was no chance of him or Jensen running into his ex-husband.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taking a deep breath, he zipped his suitcase closed. He'd taken a week and a half off of work at Jensen's insistence. This was his first proper vacation in years and he intended to make the most of it. He trusted his employees to handle the shop while he was gone so, barring an emergency, Jensen was going to be his only concern.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Speak of the devil, Jensen should be arriving any minute to pick him up. He'd insisted on driving them down there. "It'll only be a few hours and this baby is made for road trips," he'd reasoned, stroking the hood of his new 1967 Chevrolet Impala. Jared still didn't understand his attachment to the old muscle cars he barely got the chance to drive but seeing him smile was worth the confusion. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Like magic, once Jared was sure he had everything packed and unplugged, he heard the loud rumble of the engine coming down his street. Smiling, he walked out of the apartment with his bags and waved to his ride. After setting his bags in the trunk, he slid into the middle of the front seat and kissed Jensen on the cheek. "Hey there."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey, gorgeous. You all set?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm perfect."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Damn right you are." With that, they pulled away from the curb and headed off for their destination.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-----------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen was worried about Jared. Things had started great. Jared sang along with the radio, shared the snacks (yes, even the gummy bears), and even talked a little bit about his life there. He’d been the captain of the football team and also a massive theater kid and Jensen thought that was just adorable. But Jared still kept away from the subject of his family and didn’t say much else aside from a little bit of local history. He also noticed that as they got physically closer Jared got quieter and more fidgety, almost like he was ready to jump out and run back to Dallas.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What is it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen sighed. “No, you’re not. Jared, I’ve known you for almost eight months now; I know when something’s bothering you. You don’t have to tell me everything but clearly you’d rather be doing anything else besides go to this wedding. What’s going on?” </span>
  <em>
    <span>What aren’t you telling me?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared bit his lip and stared out of the window. “...She probably only invited me to be polite,” he murmured. “I haven’t spoken to any of my family since I left. Daneel, the friend that called me, is the only one that has any way of contacting me and I haven’t even told her where I live. She didn’t even know about you until a few weeks ago.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen nodded silently. Jared’s rift with his family, whatever caused it, went deep as far as his boyfriend was concerned. Deep enough to cut off contact with them for six years. “Can I ask what happened?” he requested softly, doubting he’d even get an answer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...They weren’t there for me,” Jared replied quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen was about to ask for more when Jared cut him off. “I can’t. Not right now. I will tell you everything, eventually. Just…. This isn’t going to be easy for me. Can we just get through this wedding for now?” And Jensen could never say no to him, especially with those eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course. Whatever you need.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared’s mood picked up a little when they pulled up in front of Daneel’s family’s bed and breakfast where they would be staying. He practically leapt out of the car when he saw her standing outside and ran up to hug her, picking her up and spinning in a circle before setting ehr back down on the sidewalk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked back to see Jensen grinning while he unpacked their bags. “Jensen, this is Daneel. Daneel, this is Jensen.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I should say.” Daneel smirked and nudged Jared’s side. “And you oughta be ashamed of yourself for hiding him from me. Mr. Male Model and I are gonna be best friends now. You’re out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The three of them laughed as they headed inside and he almost felt the weight of the coming days lift off his shoulders. Almost.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Standing behind the counter was a girl he knew from high school who seemed less than happy to see him. Any hope he’d had that things had changed around here vanished when she rolled her eyes and practically threw the room key at him. “Enjoy your stay,” she sneered, somehow maintaining that look when Daneel reprimanded her for her behavior.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared shook his head at Jensen’s questioning look and just grabbed his suitcase. “Let’s get unpacked and then we can go grab dinner somewhere,” he murmured, heading up the stairs to their room. Jensen looked like he wanted to ask more questions but kept his mouth shut, something Jared was incredibly grateful for.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The trouble with your partner being a more popular person than you was that when shit went down in your relationship, people tended to believe their version of events over yours. Things with Jed were bad enough in private but as far as the public was concerned, Jared was The Worst. It didn’t matter that up until the marriage Jared had been considered the town sweetheart, with a sterling record. Nope, all that mattered was Jed told people he was a liar and a cheater and generally just good for nothing and no one would hear otherwise. But he knew what to do; he did it for nearly three straight years. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Keep your head down. Be quiet. Don’t give them more ammo.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Which is why he opted to take Jensen to a small diner near the outskirts of town. Sure, it wasn’t the best place in town but it had decent food and it was about as private as they could get outside of the bed and breakfast. But even there, everyone just Knew. But he kept his head down. He let Jensen order for him. He smiled politely at the waitress who muttered ‘slut’ under her breath. He’d done this for years; what was a couple more days?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen made a promise not three hours ago that he would keep quiet and not ask Jared for anything else. Jared needed time to handle whatever was going on with his family and he could respect that. But this? He was just supposed to sit here and let damn near everyone in town give Jared the stink eye and be quiet about it?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen fucking Ackles didn’t let things like this happen to the people he cared about. He could level this whole town if he wanted. But Jared didn’t want Jensen fucking Ackles, he wanted Jensen the boyfriend. And if Jensen the boyfriend was a little bitch that let people talk shit about his Jared then Jensen fucking Ackles was going to lose it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You okay?” he asked as the waitress walked to the kitchen with their order. It was a dumb question; he knew Jared wasn’t okay. Jared, his sweet and sassy Jared, was being quiet. Quiet Jared was not a good sign.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But he just smiled that same smile he smiled when tricky customers demanded their drink be remade for the fourth time and nodded. “I’m fine. Just tired from the drive I guess.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bullshit.</span>
  </em>
  <span> There was something weird going on here and something told him it wouldn’t take too much asking around to get an answer. Maybe Daneel-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen was startled out of his thoughts by Jared’s sudden declaration. “Excuse me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know that look, Ackles. Drop it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jared-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jensen, I swear to all that is good and holy, if you go behind my back on this I will leave you.” He leaned forward on the table, gritting his teeth. “I get it, you’re worried. And I would be too. It’s just…. I’m just not ready to talk about it yet and I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. Just get through this wedding and then we can leave and you can stop worrying about it, okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What does that even-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me.” Jared abruptly stood up and went to the restrooms, leaving a very stunned Jensen sitting alone at their table, wondering how the hell he was supposed to handle this. Unfortunately, he was not left alone to deal with this as a nice-looking young woman sat in Jared’s seat. “Can I help you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Actually, I want to help you.” She smiled sweetly. “Are you dating that man?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”</span>
  <span></span>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m just concerned. He just doesn’t have the best reputation is all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for the warning. Now, please leave.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just thought I’d give you a shot. He had us all fooled once.” She left just before Jared came out, leaving Jensen more confused than before. He wanted more information and he wanted it sooner rather than later. But he’d made a promise and he was a man of his word.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared would tell him everything. He just needed to be patient.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>----------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared laid in bed with Jensen that night, second-guessing everything. Should he have just canceled and gone somewhere else for the week like Jensen had suggested? <em>A bit</em></span>
  <em>
    <span> late for that one.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Should he tell Jensen more now rather than waiting? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Like you’re ready to relive that shit. Once was enough. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Turning on his side, he watched his boyfriend sleep peacefully. It wasn’t their first time sharing a bed but this felt different. Before it had always been more of a necessity thing, like one of them staying too late for it to be worth the drive home. This was an active choice to share the same space for a full night. He hadn’t done that since…. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Way to kill the mood.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sighed and closed his eyes, figuring he may as well try and get some sleep. They didn’t have much to do except the rehearsal dinner but he knew that was going to take up most of his energy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-----</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You can’t do anything right, can you?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’m sorry</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Who were you with?! I thought we agreed you weren’t going out without me?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’m sorry</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Do you like her? Don’t lie to me!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’m sorry</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“I wouldn’t have to do this if you would quit lying to me!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I’m sorry</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You are just the worst I swear Jar-”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared woke up abruptly, panting softly as his heart raced. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a nightmare this bad. Not in years, surely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jared?” Jensen rolled over and yawned quietly. “You okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. I’m fine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, you’re not.” Jensen pushed his hair out of his face and pulled him closer. “You’re sweaty and out of breath. Nightmare. Bad one. Cuddles help.” Jared felt a small smile tug at his lips as he settled into Jensen’s embrace. Even when sleepy, his boyfriend was watching out for him. It felt nice. A lot of things about Jensen felt nice. Really, really nice</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Holy fuck I’ve fallen in love with him.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jared and Jensen have an important talk. A new character enters the scene.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>When Jared woke up the next morning, the bed was empty and he felt relatively well-rested. Sitting up with a yawn, he was soon greeted with the sight of his boyfriend exiting the bathroom wearing only a towel. "Good morning," he murmured.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Hey there, sleeping beauty." Jensen smiled and walked over to the dresser to pick something out for the day. "Anything pressing on today's agenda?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared shook his head. "Just the rehearsal dinner later so you can meet everybody."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why are we going to the rehearsal if you aren't part of the wedding party?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared shrugged. "Meg asked if I would go. I guess they want to meet us more casually before tomorrow."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sure. So, what do we do in the meantime?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I was planning on not leaving the room and enjoying the excellent room service here."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"So, hiding then." Jensen shoved the drawer shut and started dressing. "And I'm supposed to hide in here with you."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"What do you mean?" He'd never heard Jensen like this, at least not directed at him. The patent-pending I'm-so-tired-of-your-shit voice was reserved for idiot employees and the occasional client. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What did I do wrong?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen sighed and turned around. "I'm not going to ask what happened because I know I won't get an answer. And I'm not going to ask Daneel or anyone else about it because I respect that you don't want me to. But being here…. Hell, even before we got here you were acting strange. I've never seen you take shit from anyone without giving it back, not even from me."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Jen-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Please, let me say this?" Biting his lip, Jared nodded; he needed to know where this was going. "Remember when I asked you out for the first time and you told me to fuck off? As far as you knew, I was a cruel and dangerous man through and through but you still didn't take shit from me. But we get here and you let waitresses call you a slut and act like nothing happened!" Jensen started pacing then. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Again, I'm not asking what happened. I just...I can't just sit there and let that happen to you! I could level this whole town in a year, probably less, if you asked me to. Because I don't know if you've figured this out but I don't take shit from people. I never have and I never will. You are a rare exception to that rule and I thank whatever god is listening that I have you to remind me that I'm just a person. But I didn't get to be the most powerful man in Dallas by playing nice and letting other people fuck around with my people. You said that you could accept being the public partner of a crime boss. Well, this is part of that. Someone fucks with you, I handle it. I know you don't need protection from anyone and I've never felt the need to give you any until now. The only thing, the one and only thing holding me back right now, is you. Because I respect you, I care about you, and I know you would never forgive me for doing something like that on your behalf without asking first."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Jensen…." That was...a lot. Of course he'd known Jensen would probably be pissed over this. Jensen rarely had reason to get protective over him but a part of Jared always knew it would come out eventually. Jensen had never hidden his dark side from him, though he usually kept it out of their relationship. This…. "What are you saying?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm saying I'm at your disposal. Say the word and I'll take care of it."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And if I say no?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen clenched his jaw. "Then I'll stand down."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"...Why?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why what?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why are you doing this?" Jared asked quietly. "It's just a few days I don't need you to be my attack dog. I've been through this before."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen stared at him then and, for the first time in months, Jared couldn't read him. He was silent for a long time before the slowly kneeled in front of Jared. "You don't have to do it alone," he said softly. "You have me this time. I want to be there for you, if you'll let me. Let me be a little protective?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen Ackles, last year's hottest Dallas bachelor, the most dangerous man in the city, was kneeling at his feet and practically </span>
  <em>
    <span>begging</span>
  </em>
  <span> to protect him. How the fuck did he end up here? How did he get so lucky? Overcome with emotion, he surged forward and kissed him with everything he had. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>perfect</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Okay it was a little sloppy and maybe he overshot and now they were on the floor but he was kissing </span>
  <em>
    <span>Jensen</span>
  </em>
  <span> and nothing had ever felt more right in his life.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck I think I love him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As far as first kisses went, this wasn't bad. Actually, it was pretty damn perfect.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Yes, they'd hugged and cuddled and even kissed on the cheek every now and again but Jared has always shied away from anything near the lips. He couldn't deny it had been a little frustrating at first, wanting to move forward but not being able to, but this was more than worth the wait. He and Jared were </span>
  <em>
    <span>kissing</span>
  </em>
  <span> and it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>amazing</span>
  </em>
  <span> and he didn't want to stop and-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was going to kill whoever was knocking on the door. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared got up and answered the door while Jensen lamented the unfairness of the universe for doing this to him. He was still on the floor when Jared came back, looking far too distressed for someone who had just been in an amazing make out session. “Who was that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Daneel, warning us,” Jared replied curtly, heading for his own clothes. “Apparently, my mother decided to drop by and invite us for brunch. She wants to meet you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nothing like a mother to ruin the mood. “Better now than at the wedding I guess. Are you going to be okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared shrugged. “I guess. I just… It’s been a while. I’m really not sure what to expect from them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen got up and wrapped his boyfriend in a soft hug. “Remember, it’s not just you….”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared sighed and leaned into him. “...Yes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hm?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, you can protect me. A little bit. No death threats but you can growl at them or something.” He smiled and kissed Jensen again before walking into the bathroom to change.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen smiled after him. Jared gave him permission to be a little scary; today was already looking up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hopefully, it would stay that way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Despite his less-than-happy memories of his hometown, there were some things Jared was glad to see hadn’t changed. The Harris’ bed and breakfast, the local malt shop, the drive-in theater just out of town, all great landmarks he looked back on fondly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The somewhat-upscale restaurant his mother dragged the whole family out to every Sunday after church was not one of those places. Thankfully, it was a Friday so they would only be subjected to her while his father was at work and his sister handled wedding prep. With any luck, they would be done in an hour and have plenty of time to recoup before the rehearsal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I was so happy when you accepted our invitation, dear. Meg was so worried you would say no.” His mother’s sugary sweet voice hadn’t lost its charm in the years he’d been gone, not that it worked on him anymore.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just thought it’d be nice to show Jensen where I grew up,” he murmured. “Besides, it would’ve been impolite to say no.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course, dear. It’s just so good to see you again. How long has it been now, three years?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Six.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, that’s right. Jed couldn’t find you-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anyway,” he coughed and looked back down at the menu. “How are things with the wedding? How’s Meg? Is her fiance nice?” He could feel Jensen’s eyes on him and tried not to look too bothered. They would be talking later anyway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His mother, clearly not pleased with the change in subject but too polite to change it back yet, filled him in on the recent goings on. “She’s just happy the family’s going to be together again. Though, I do have to say Jared, I was a little surprised to hear you were bringing a guest. How did you two meet anyhow?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ran into each other at a coffee shop,” Jensen answered for him, thankfully keeping it vague. “I was a jerk, he didn’t let me get away with it.” They shared a small smile and he squeezed Jared’s leg under the table.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see. And what do you do for work, Jensen?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m a businessman, ma’am, mostly administrative work.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I see.” Sharon continued to question Jensen and Jared was just glad to be out of the spotlight for at least a bit. He wasn’t foolish enough to think it would last forever but he would take what he could get.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Now, Jared, I was a bit surprised to hear you were staying at the bed and breakfast. You know we would’ve had room for you with us.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Translation: How dare you act like something’s wrong?</span>
  </em>
  <span> He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “We didn’t want to impose, mother. Besides, it’s been ages since I’ve seen Daneel.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know it has been, dear, but I thought you would’ve wanted to stay with family.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Translation: Blood trumps all, bitch. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“I understand but I didn’t want to be in the way of wedding prep. Besides, we’re only staying for a few days. We’re leaving the day after tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She had the gall to look surprised. </span>
  <em>
    <span>As if she doesn’t know what goes on here. </span>
  </em>
  <span>“Jared, whatever for? It’s been so long since you visited and I was hoping we could have a proper family dinner together.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Yep, straight up acting like nothing happened. Wonderful.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He put on his best customer-service smile, only soothed by Jensen rubbing his thigh under the table. “Jensen and I are both busy, mother; there were only so many days we could get off. Besides, I didn’t want to spend more time here than I had to. You know how it is for me here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t see why that has to interfere with spending time with your family.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I do.” He allowed himself a small glare at her. “It wasn’t that long ago that my family was part of the reason why I didn’t want to be here. But it’s been six years and Meg reached out. I’m back for the wedding because it’s family and it’s only polite to go to a family event when you’re invited. But i’m not staying. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>can’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> stay here. We’re here for the wedding and then we’re leaving, okay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She looked at them with a fake smile of her own and nodded. “Of course, dear. I’m sure your sister won’t be too disappointed. And I do hope you two enjoy your stay; it would be a shame to leave with bad memories.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>----------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your mom’s a bitch.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jen….”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What? I waited until we were in the car and I only glared at her a little. I think I get credit for that.” Jensen huffed and started the engine. “Seriously, I don’t blame you for not being excited to see her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared bit the inside of his cheek like he did when he was trying not to smile. “Yeah, well, she’s my mom. Kinda comes with the territory. Can we just go back to our room now? We’ll need our energy for tonight.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Whatever you want.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They rode in silence for a while before Jensen couldn’t resist anymore. “Who’s Jed?” He knew who Jed was, on paper at least, but he wanted to hear it from the source.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared stiffened just at the name and stared out of the window. “...He’s my ex-husband. We were high school sweethearts. It didn’t work out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He nodded and rested his arm on the back of the seat in invitation. “Thank you for telling me.” It meant a lot that Jared divulged anything at this point. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You asked,” was the only reply he got. The rest of the ride passed in silence as did most of the rest of the day. Not that Jensen was complaining; cuddles were great and cuddles where you didn’t talk much because you were kissing were even better. Still, rehearsal time came way too soon and neither of them were particularly excited. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Technically not too late to back out,” he muttered when they pulled up to the location. “I can just turn the car around and we can forget about this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jensen, we’re already here. Quit whining and be my perfect boyfriend, okay? I wanna make everyone else jealous. Would you begrudge me my petty revenge?” And how was Jensen supposed to say no to that delicious pout?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your puppy-eyes are a lethal weapon. You should use them a little more conservatively.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s the fun in that?” he giggled, stepping out of the car.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen just shook his head and followed him inside. He had a crowd to woo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-----------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared had to admit, the dinner wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. Sure, it was awkward meeting people he hadn’t seen in years including his own family. Sure, Meg’s fiance ignored him for most of the evening. Sure, Jensen made a few conversations even more awkward by actually growling (“You said I could!” “That’s not what I meant!”). But no one caused a scene. No one insulted him to his face. No one brought up his ex. Aside from his mother fixing Jensen with strange looks, it was a nice evening. He didn’t even have to be drunk to survive it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was just over pleasantly buzzed when they got back to their room and Jared glomped onto Jensen as soon as the door was locked. “You’re amazing, you know that?” he muttered. “You’re so pretty and smart and funny and badass…. I like you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I should hope so,” Jensen chuckled, setting him on the bed. “You gonna be okay here while I clean up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay…” He flopped down on the mattress and kicked off his shoes while he waited for his love to return. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This is nice.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Time alone, Jensen just a door away, no one judging them…. Everything about this was nice. Having Jensen by his side all evening, making him smile and feel good even when he wanted to crawl into a corner and never come back out, had been really nice. He could really get used to this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now they just had to survive the wedding. If they could handle that, Jared was pretty sure they could handle anything.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>There is a wedding. There is drama.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter was a lot for me. Many emotions. Proceed with caution.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Jensen fixed the cufflinks on his suit while he waited for Jared to get ready. “Come on, we’re gonna be late. Unless this is your way of telling me you don’t want to go?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would you drop it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, I won’t. I was iffy about this when you brought it up but now I’m pretty much certain that going to this wedding is a bad idea.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared stepped out of the bedroom, just finishing his hair.“Give me one good reason why we shouldn’t go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll do better than that.” Jensen turned toward him. “One, no one here actually wants you there. Two, you say you’re here to be polite but no one else has shown you that courtesy. Three, your mother was giving me the stink eye last night. Four-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, alright, you’ve made your point.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen sighed softly. “If you really want to go, we will. I just have a bad feeling about it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know, and you’re probably right. I just feel like if we came this far we may as well see it through.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"If you say so. But if things go south, we leave immediately. I don't want to be there any longer than we have to."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared smiled and kissed his cheek. "Okay, it's a deal. Now, come on, we don't want to be late."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Quit fidgeting," Jared hissed. Jensen had been tense since they got to the venue and being forced to sit still probably wasn't helping.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Jared, I can fidget or I can get up and punch the next person that looks at you and then totally doesn't start gossiping with the person next to you. It's your choice."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared rolled his eyes and grabbed Jensen's hand. "Relax. Just a few more hours and then we can go. Can you hold yourself back for that long?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fine. But I’m not gonna be happy about it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared shushed him so he could pay attention to the ceremony. In all seriousness, he was glad to be here for his sister. He was glad to have been invited and he was glad to see her so happy. They still had the whole reception to get through but if the rehearsal dinner was any indicator, he would probably skate by without much incident and spend the whole time talking and dancing with Jensen. That was the goal, anyway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t help but think back on their conversation earlier. He knew Jensen didn’t like being here because of his family and everyone else and most of him wanted to think that that was why he didn’t want them at the wedding. But a small part of him knew that Jensen was pretty much never wrong. If there was anything Jensen understood better than anyone Jared knew, it was danger. More specifically, he knew dangerous people. If something was telling him they shouldn’t be here, they shouldn’t be. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But it was only a few more hours, right? What could possibly go wrong?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen did not like this. He didn’t like it one bit.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Okay, the ceremony had been lovely and the dinner was delicious and so far nothing had happened. People either ignored them completely or they judged them from a distance and that was honestly better than he’d been expecting. But still, something was off and that’s why he wasn’t leaving Jared’s side unless he absolutely had to. So never.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jensen, you can go get a drink or something.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared rolled his eyes and nudged him. “You know I don’t need protection.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And you agreed that I could be a little protective!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, a </span>
  <em>
    <span>little.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you not see the lack of bodyguards? I’m holding back as much as I can.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared gave him a patent-pending bitchface but accepted his fate. “You don’t have to scowl,” he muttered. “This is a party after all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sighed and rested his hand on his boyfriend’s thigh. “I know. I just…. I have a feeling that something’s going to happen and I can’t ignore that. My gut’s never been wrong before. Can you trust me on this?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course I can. I just wish you’d lighten up a tiny bit.” He smiled at Jensen and leaned in for a quick kiss. “Come on, let’s dance.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh, and Jensen wanted to dance. He wanted to take Jared onto the floor and show off how gorgeous he was. And he wanted to forget why he felt so uneasy and just relax. He wanted to-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wanted to kill whoever was calling him right now. Cursing softly, he checked his phone to see the contact was listed as private. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck….</span>
  </em>
  <span> That could only mean one thing. “I’m sorry, Jared. It’s work. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Important</span>
  </em>
  <span> work that wasn’t supposed to call me.” He sighed and kissed his cheek. “Probably better if I go outside.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can go-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shook his head. “Believe me, I don’t want you to be alone here but it would probably be better if you didn’t hear this call.” Smiling apologetically, he reluctantly left their table and made his way to the entrance.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This had better be fucking important….” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared sipped his drink and watched the party go one around him. As much as he’d griped about Jensen’s growly demeanor, he had to admit there was a level of comfort that came with it. Even if he wanted to think nothing would happen, he knew Jensen would be there if it did. He didn’t like how vulnerable he felt without him. He was a grown man for fuck’s sake, he could handle it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>That’s what they all said to you.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He shook his head. He wanted to stay on the positive side tonight. It was a lovely reception. Meg looked happy. Just about everyone looked happy. Jared was actually feeling pretty okay.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” came a soft greeting beside him. Turning, he saw Meg sit down at his table.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey….”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She smiled at him and moved the chair closer as best she could without wrinkling her dress. “I know we haven’t gotten to talk until now but I am glad you came. I wanted to talk to you before but I didn’t think you’d want to listen. Do you...think you’d want to listen?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That depends on what you want me to hear.” </span>
  <em>
    <span>And how quickly you can run in that dress.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She sighed, wringing her hands in her lap. “I wanted to say I’m sorry. I...I know that doesn’t make it better but I feel just awful about everything. Family should always come first, especially over men like Jed, and we didn’t do that for you. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> didn’t do that for you. I’m so, so sorry.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stared at her, trying to determine how sincere she was being. It had been six years, she had plenty of opportunities to figure Daneel knew how to get in touch with him and ask that way. But she was right in thinking he wouldn’t have answered. Three years ago he definitely wouldn’t have. Maybe she was just scared and couldn’t do it until now. “Meg…. Thank you.” It was all he could say; he wasn’t ready to forgive yet but if she was willing to apologize he would take it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She smiled and leaned forward to hug him. “Thanks for coming, Jared. Maybe tomorrow we could-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jared!” Well, there went that heartwarming moment. Sharon sat down at their table, fixing Meg with her not-quite-right smile. “Dear, why don’t you go find your husband for a dance; I know he’s been itching to get out there. I need to discuss a few things with Jared.” Meg knew better than to pick a fight and gave Jared a sympathetic look before retreating.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sighing softly, he turned to his mother. “What did you want to talk to me about?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your boyfriend, Jensen. I just wanted to ask you a few more questions.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared could practically feel the pit building in his stomach. “Okay. What do you want to know?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I do have a few questions regarding the nature of your relationship. He is a very wealthy man and-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mother, he is not </span>
  <em>
    <span>paying</span>
  </em>
  <span> me. Do you really think he’d even be here if this wasn’t at least somewhat personal?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dear, I just wanted to make sure. After all, there are some rumors about where that wealth comes from and I wouldn’t want you involved in such things.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Rumors. Of course.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Mother, he makes me happy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She scoffed. “Jared, I know being out there in the world was very exciting for you but you have to be careful who you trust. Jensen Ackles is not your perfect-boyfriend-come-true. I have reason to believe he is a very dangerous man and I’m not comfortable with you associating with him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He forced himself to take a calming breath. “He’s proven himself to be quite a gentleman.” he managed to grit out through his teeth.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They always are, dear. Or did you forget how you and Jed got together? You were over the moon for him and look how that turned out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And if that didn’t just strike the worst nerve. He abruptly stood up, almost knocking over his chair in the process. “That was out of line and you know it.” He held his hand up when it looked like she was about to say something. “No, I’m talking now. Would you listen to me, please? Or would you rather hear my thoughts from someone else?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jared-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s a serious question, Mother. After all, you seem so keen to listen to everyone that isn’t me when it comes to my personal life!” He knew he was causing a scene but dammit he was a little drunk and this was a long time coming. “You never listened to me, not once! You didn’t hear me and now you’re acting like you knew all along?! This is why I left, because </span>
  <em>
    <span>none of you </span>
  </em>
  <span>ever fucking listened!” Ignoring the whispers around him (not hard when your blood was rushing through your head), he headed for the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jared-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Meg, I’m sorry, but I can’t. I wish you a happy marriage,” he muttered, speeding up his walk. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This had been such a bad idea.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen grumbled as he hung up the phone. It had been an emergency (turf wars were never fun) but he was still upset about the timing. Jared was vulnerable here and he’d had to leave him alone. Maybe he should’ve let him come along…. No, that would just make him evidence if things went south. Better in the long run if he stayed out of the loop.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was about to head inside when he heard shouting. He heard </span>
  <em>
    <span>Jared </span>
  </em>
  <span>shouting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That did not bode well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He opened the door to see a very furious Jared headed straight for him. Very not good, not even a little. “Jared-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re leaving.” Jensen balked at how much venom poured out of Jared’s mouth in those two words but nodded.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, we can head to the B&amp;B for the night. That’s fine.” He didn’t want to be here anyway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jensen, </span>
  <em>
    <span>we’re leaving.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Oh, that was bad. “Yeah, no problem. We can just leave now, I can handle it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jared Tristan Padalecki! You get back here and apologize!” Jensen turned to see a certain mother looking quite unladylike at her son. Growling softly, he steered a very stiff Jared towards the door. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait in the car, I’ll handle her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jensen-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jared.” He reached up and turned Jared’s face toward him, caressing his cheek softly. “Let me do this for you? You aren’t alone, remember?” There was so much pain in those hazel eyes and he wanted to burn everything that put it there. But he could do this for now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He breathed a sigh of relief when Jared nodded and took the keys. Jensen then turned towards Sharon and smiled his best shark-grin. “Mrs. Padalecki, I would suggest going back to the party.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You listen here-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, you listen here.” He stepped towards her. “Mrs. Padalecki, I am not the kind of man you want to piss off. I know it may be hard to believe but there is a wolf hidden under all this fluffy wool and, while I try to keep him there, sometimes he comes out. You are baiting my wolf. And my wolf? My wolf is very good at destroying things and he has the funds to do it. I could buy up every business in town and close them. I could buy up the banks and raise interests so high none of you will escape your debts. I could make use of my political charms and force everyone out of town that way so I could tear this city down and build a national park. Or maybe a mall. Not sure really. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But I won’t do that. Do you know why? Because your son is a fucking saint and he asked me not to. So I’m holding myself back and forcing myself to leave you only with a threat: If you or anyone else here tries to contact Jared without permission, I will be back. And when I come back, I won’t bring Jared to hold me back. I will have this town leveled within a year, maybe less. Haven’t decided yet.” Satisfied with her pale, stunned face, he turned around and walked to see his boyfriend.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He silently slid into the front seat and pulled Jared into a hug. “It’s okay,” he murmured, rubbing his tense back. “I’ve got you….”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared pulled back, blinking rapidly. “Not here,” he murmured. “They can see. I-I don’t-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know. It’s okay.” He started the car and slowly pulled out. “You’re okay,” he murmured. “You’re okay…..”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jared tells Jensen his story</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This does get very, very dark but there is nothing explicit. This chapter is mostly Jared telling Jensen what happened to him and all the aftermath followed by a little fluff the next morning.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Jared was only dimly aware of events as they happened around him. He could hear Jensen talking about something; he wasn’t sure who he was talking to or why and he couldn’t bring himself to care. He could feel the car moving but he wasn’t really aware of how fast or where they were going. It felt like the only thing he could pay attention to was the voice inside his head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Jensen Ackles is not your perfect-boyfriend-come-true.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Why did it matter so much that she didn’t like Jensen? Was it that she’d loved Jed so much, despite everything? Or was it that she just never </span>
  <em>
    <span>listened </span>
  </em>
  <span>to him? Had he really been hoping for something different? He should’ve known it wouldn’t be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He startled when Jensen opened his car door. “Where are we?” It definitely didn’t look like Austin.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We got a long drive until we get to Austin and our room isn’t ready for check-in anyway. I figured we’d crash here for tonight and finish the drive tomorrow.” He could feel Jensen evaluating him but he chose to ignore that for now. He just wanted to get out of these clothes and go to sleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Wait. Clothes.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where’s our stuff?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I called and had someone pick it up. It’ll be waiting for us in Austin but I can have something brought here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Right. Right, Jensen had covered that. Because that’s what he did, he took care of things. He muttered a quiet thanks and let Jensen lead him to their room. It had been a long time since he stayed in a motel but they were one of those things that never changed. No matter where you were staying, it was all worn wallpaper and hard beds with questionable sheets. Seemed fitting that he’d be back in one after leaving his family again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He claimed the bathroom and took a minute to gather himself. A little cold water splashed on his face and he didn’t really feel any better but at least he felt alive. The man staring back at him from the mirror didn’t look like a total stranger; dead inside but recognizable. After taking a quick shower, he came out to see Jensen sitting on the bed in his underwear while typing on his phone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Everything okay?” he asked quietly, sitting on the other side. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Should be asking you that.” Jensen turned and rested a hand on his shoulder. “What do you need?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Could use some sleep. I’m just a little out of sorts right now; it’ll be better in the morning.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You just need to sleep off emotional distress?” Jensen clearly didn’t buy that but it was mostly true.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He shrugged. “Worked last time I left. Cried myself to sleep my first night out and just kept moving forward after that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Guess we can just sleep then. Unless you want something to eat? I can run-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m fine. I mean- I’m not fine but I’ll be okay. Just…. Stay?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Always.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen did his own business in the bathroom and came back to find Jared, seemingly asleep, curled up on the bed. It bothered him to see him, someone normally so full of life, cowering. He looked small, like a scared little boy running away from home.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sighing, he slid into the bed, wincing at the quality of the mattress and sheets. If he hadn;t been so tired, he might’ve found a nice inn for the night. But it had been late and all Jensen really wanted to do is take care of Jared and, as shitty as this was, it would probably be better for them than sleeping in the car. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He curled himself around Jared’s back , like he could shield him from the world that way. </span>
  <em>
    <span>If only….</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d almost drifted off to sleep when he heard it. “I met him when we were sixteen.” Jared’s voice was barely above a whisper. “I’d already known I was bi but I hadn’t told anybody, except Daneel; I knew what the reaction would be. I just figured I’d marry a pretty girls and that would be the end of it. And I was fine with that; lots of nice girls living in town. But Jed was out and loud and proudly gay. His family moving into town was a massive shock. They had big money and they brought in big jobs, jobs anyone would be lucky to get.  No one had a problem with the parents, just Jed. But when people started getting rejection letters because of ‘blatant bigoted attitudes’ whenever someone called him a name or when someone’s kid cornered him at school, they wised up. It was fine to be a homophobe, just couldn’t let anyone know.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s when he set his eyes on me. My dad had just gotten a job in his offices and he wants to buddy up with me just to make sure he was ‘appropriate’ for the job. As a test, he kissed me. I didn’t even think about it, just kissed back. He was cute and dad needed the job. Jed asked me out proper after that, not sure if it was still business but I was single and I kinda liked him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Things were good at first. He was sweet, super understanding that it was my first time dating a guy. Sure, sometimes he pushed a little but he always backed off if I said so. I trusted him.” Jensen reached and squeezed his hand when Jared’s voice broke. He knew what he was hearing and he was all too grateful for it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then...I don’t remember how it came up, but about halfway through senior year we were talking and he said something about how it was nice to meet anotehr gay dude. Me being myself and accepting I wasn’t a freak for liking more than just girls, corrected him that I was bi. That’s when things went south. He...bought into a lot of the stereotypes about bisexuals. Stereotypes I’d never heard about, being my sheltered heteronormative self. He got super paranoid; anytime I wasn’t with him he’d constantly text me and he’d call if I didn’t respond fast enough. All my relationships were suspect, especially with my female friends. At one point, he forbid me from hanging out with friends unless he was with me.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s when I got really annoyed. I didn’t think I’d given him any reason to distrust me so none of it made sense. We had a huge fight and he accused me of cheating because I was still so hesitant to be physical with him. I tried to tell him that I just wasn’t ready for that and-” Jared took a deep breath and turned over to bury his face in Jensen’s neck. “...he decided I was lying. He just- I wasn’t ready for it and he got on top of me and I didn’t…. I couldn’t….” A sob broke out of him and Jensen held him tighter. “...It hurt. And I was so scared I just- I couldn’t move. He- He left after. I-I cleaned myself up and walked to the station. I-I thought...I thought it would help. Even if he didn’t get charged, people would know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen frowned at that. There hadn’t been any police report In Sheppard’s check and certainly not for rape. That meant….</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They didn’t believe me. First, Jed’s dad was the town favorite and he had a pretty good reputation too. Plus...I’m fucking huge, Jen. I was back then too, captain of the football team and all. And Jed was like, a foot shorter than me. I was laughed out of the station for even suggesting he could hurt me. I-I could’ve just fought him off, right?” He laughed bitterly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Someone there leaked it. Everyone knew what I tried to do by the end of the week. School was a goddamn nightmare; most of my friends left and Daneel was one of two people who would have anything to do with me. Jed was the other one and…. He was dramatic about the whole thing. He’d follow me around and loudly say how sorry he was for ‘being too rough’ and he ‘didn’t mean it like that’. That was his story; I’d wanted it but I didn’t like how rough he was and I overreacted. Everyone kept telling me to forgive him and move on. My own fucking mother told me to get over it. None of them fucking </span>
  <em>
    <span>listened </span>
  </em>
  <span>to me. I kept trying to tell them but they’d heard his story first and now </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> was the bad guy because I wouldn’t go along with it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That lasted until after graduation. I’d never planned on going to college or anything and with everything else going on I didn’t apply anywhere so I started looking for a job. But...Jed’s dad wouldn’t hire me for obvious reasons and most people in town had a good opinion of him and a not great one of me so I didn’t have a lot of options. Daneel tried to get me something at the B&amp;B but her parents wouldn’t hear it. My parents were barely speaking to me and I’m pretty sure if it wasn’t for my siblings I would’ve been cast out because of what I did to the family name. And Jed...he made me an offer. Simple deal: stay with him and he’d fix everything. All I had to do was be quiet, do what he said, and he’d get my dad a better job and his mom would bring my mom back up in the community. And I...I just wanted everything to go back to normal. So I stupidly said yes. I should’ve known something was up when he insisted on a wedding to ‘sell it’.</span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>“Once again, at first it was okay. People were talking to me again, even if it was mostly derogatory shit about me ‘finally seeing sense’. I was just glad not to be the outcast anymore. And then…. I wanted to get a job. I didn’t like being in the house all day and going shopping once or twice a week for food just wasn’t doing it for me. He wouldn’t let me, kept talking about how I didn’t need to work since he had so much money. When I kept bringing it up, he accused me of getting ready to leave him. He got so angry…. I didn’t ask again after that. I thought everything would be okay but….” He took a shaky breath. “Then, about a year in, he started working with his dad. He was supposed to be learning about how to run the company and I guess he was but…. He always said work was </span><em><span>so</span></em> <em><span>hard </span></em><span>and he had to keep his composure or his dad wouldn't think he was ready but all that energy had to go </span><em><span>somewhere</span></em><span> and...I was there."</span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen was tempted to stop the story right there. He didn't need to hear more, it was pretty clear what had happened, but Jared started talking again before he had the chance. "I didn't understand it at first. I don't think I ever will. Every day he'd come home and complain about work and then start going on about how I didn't make his lunch right or I hadn't folded his shirts right or something else. Nothing I did made him happy, no matter how hard I tried. And I </span>
  <em>
    <span>fucking tried</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I didn't tell anyone; I already knew what would happen if I did and I didn't want it to get worse. So I covered up and made excuses. It got easier after a while; hard not to buy into something when you hear it all the time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"One time, he went too far. He pushed me down the stairs and my leg broke. He made this big fuss about how much trouble it was to get to the hospital and when we got there he fed them this story about how clumsy I was. I wasn't going to say anything but the nurse that saw me caught on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"When we had a minute alone together, she asked me what really happened. At first I just went along with his story but she kept pushing and eventually I told her everything. She made the report and contacted the police and everything. For a minute, I felt okay. I thought things were going to work out for me and I wouldn't have to worry about him anymore. But when the police showed up… I was still fucking huge. Jed was still fucking tiny. Jed got to talk to them first and he was way more convincing than I was. Nothing was ever filed and the nurse got reprimanded for wasting police time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"But I still had hope. I tried talking to my family; I thought they would listen, especially if I had bruises for proof. But they didn't. M-Mother said I was lying to hide my clumsiness and stopped letting me come by the house. I think Meg was just worried about me and she told one of her friends about it and that friend really didn't like me and...well, it didn't do me any favors."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Jared, you don't-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Yes, I do. Please let me finish?" And Jensen just hated how broken he sounded but nodded for him to continue. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I started leaving the house as little as possible just to avoid the stares and whispers. I didn't realize it at the time but that just made everything worse. Everyone thought that was my way of admitting to my shame.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I felt trapped there. Daniel was the only person I could talk to but there was a lot I never told her because I thought she'd leave me too. She kept telling me to leave but without a divorce I'd just get pulled back and there was no way I could pull that off. So I stayed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"This kept up until a little before our three year anniversary. Jed had officially earned the position of CFO of the company and he wanted to have a party at our house. Naturally, I had to handle all the details and do all the service during the party. Everything was going okay for most of the night. He actually seemed happy with my work. But then the night was just about over. It was just his family and my family left. He'd been drinking a bit and that didn't do his temper any favors. I was bringing out more drinks to everyone but I wasn't quick enough for his liking. He absolutely exploded on me and punched me in front of everyone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I didn't know what to do. It got so quiet…. Then his mother stood up and helped me off the ground and back into the house. I don't know what she said to Jed and the others but she sounded upset. She was nice to me though and asked me if that was normal behavior for Jed. I broke down and told her everything. She let me cry on her shoulder and then took me back to their main house. I'm not sure what she did but a week later she put an annulment form in front of me. Jed had already signed; she must have threatened him somehow. All she needed was my signature and that would be it. So I signed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I don't know why but I thought that would make it better. I didn't count on Jed getting around town and telling everyone this big story about me being an unfaithful husband and a liar. I stayed around for about a month but I couldn't take much more of it. It was one thing when I could just be alone for most of the day but I was back home and I had to deal with my family and I just couldn't. Daneel gave me the idea to just take some money and leave. So I did. I took some cash out of the family account, got on a bus and never looked back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I really, really thought that would be the end of it. But it wasn't. Someone told Jed I'd left and he didn't like that. I guess he thought I'd stick around long enough and he could take me back in. He followed me wherever I went for a few years. I tried everything to stay untrackable: using cash only, working under the table, living in the streets, anything I could think of. I guess he hired detectives or something because eventually he'd find me and I'd run again. That went on for about three years. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Then I moved to LA. I got a roommate, nice guy named Richard, to make it easier to pay for an apartment, someone I'd met at work. I was super paranoid that he would show up again but having someone else living there made me feel a little calmer. I figured he wouldn't try anything if there was another person. I was wrong. Again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"He broke in in the middle of the night; I woke up to him standing over my bed. He started going on about how he wanted to try again, how </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> was willing to give </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span> another chance. I just started panicking; he was in my </span>
  <em>
    <span>home</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He was trying to drag me back into something I worked so hard to leave behind. Fortunately, Richard was awake and he called the police. Jed was arrested but I'm not sure what happened after that. I packed up a few days later and that's when I moved to Dallas."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen did his best not to let his anger show while he told the story; the last thing Jared needed was to shut down. But he was furious. Correction: he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>beyond</span>
  </em>
  <span> furious. But he didn't yell. He didn't jump on the phone and order a hit. He didn't punch a hole through the wall. He just took Jared's face in his hands, wiped away his tears, and kissed him. "Thank you for telling me," he murmured.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Thank you for listening…."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen waited until Jared's breathing evened out before he even thought about trying to sleep. If he had it his way, he'd never let Jared out of his sight again. Well, with enough spies he probably could pull that off but he wasn't going to. Unless Jared wanted him to, of course, but he doubted that would happen. He swore to himself that no one would hurt Jared again; he'd been through enough already. And Jensen Ackles always protected his people.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared woke up the next morning to find himself under a snoring Jensen Ackles. Smiling, he let himself admire his boyfriend for a minute. Jensen was always so stressed with work, it was rare to see him so relaxed. Relaxed Jensen was probably his favorite Jensen and he wanted to enjoy it while he could. Jared knew that him staying after what he’d confessed last night meant something but he didn’t want to press his luck. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a while, a knock sounded at the door. He very carefully dislodged himself from Jensen’s hold and answered it to find a courier holding a mid-sized box. “Package for Mr. Ackles?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...Sure.” He signed and opened the package to find fresh clothes for the both of them. Considering all they had was wrinkled suits from a wedding he’d rather forget, he was grateful and went to change. When he came out of the bathroom, he saw his very scary and dangerous boyfriend sitting up in a blanket cocoon with a pout on his face. Chuckling, he leaned down and kissed his cheek. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Morning, Jensen.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bed’s cold,” his companion grumbled.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, but the clothes you ordered got here. I tried not to wake you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen muttered something else about horrible timing before getting out of bed and changing into his own clothes. “Breakfast?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, we can do breakfast.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was no breakfast offered by the motel (much to Jensen’s annoyance) but there was a decent diner within walking distance. “How are you feeling?” Jensen asked after they ordered. “I know last night wasn’t easy for you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared shrugged. “I feel...better. Not completely better or anywhere in that vicinity but...lighter.” As much as he hadn’t wanted to tell Jensen his full story, doing so had taken a load off of his shoulders. He wasn’t carrying this secret anymore and he wasn’t waiting for the other shoe to drop on what they had. “How are you feeling? Last night probably wasn’t easy for you either.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen sipped his coffee and folded his hands together in front of him like he was at a business meeting. “No, it was not. Hearing your story was hard for me, not because it changed my perception of your or anything ridiculous like that, but because all I wanted to do was run out there and burn your hometown off the map after I had Jed’s head delivered to me on a silver platter. But I knew I had to be there for you and seeing me run off angrily was probably the last thing you needed. Like I said before, you aren’t alone anymore and I plan on spending a very long time reminding you of that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...Is it sad that that’s the most romantic thing anyone’s ever said to me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen chuckled and reached across the table to grasp his hands. “Not at all. Now I know where the bar is and I can keep raising it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sap.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You love it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared blushed and leaned across to kiss him. “Thank you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anytime.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Everything is going great until it isn't. How will our lovers handle this new obstacle?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Things were going great in Jensen’s life. Business was booming all around, he had a wonderful boyfriend, ahd he felt more refreshed than ever after their trip to Austin. The last few months had been nothing short of bliss, full of soft kisses and whispered promises and celebratory dinners.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He should’ve known the rug would get pulled out from under him at some point.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There were always conflicts in his business. With his legitimate business, it was always something that could be settled in the boardroom, occasionally going as far as firing someone. With his illegitimate business, those firings could be very literal and not exclusive to his own staff. Conflicts had been on the rise with a rival organization and the last one had ended in pretty significant bloodshed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As much as Jensen liked to think he owned the whole city, he knew there were pockets here and there that he couldn’t touch. One of these pockets was larger than the others, larger than he liked to be reminded of, and a certain Mark Pellegrino loved to remind him of that. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pellegrino was an upstart, barely in the game for more than a decade, but he grew fast and smart. It was speculated he came from a larger crime family and struck out on his own. Rumors aside, he wasn’t a Dallas native and he clearly didn’t understand how things worked here. Either that, or he just didn’t get it. Regardless, he was trying to bring his own rules into a game where the rules hadn't been changed in over a century. Rule one: Don’t fuck with Jensen Ackles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen grit his teeth as he read over the report. They’d lost the deal because Pellegrino’s ambush cost them time and some supplies. It wouldn’t kill the business, far from it, but it was enough to cause concern. He couldn’t let this become a slippery slope; a message had to be sent. Jensen fucking Ackles didn’t let anyone fuck with what was his. “You said there were hostages?” he asked, voice dipping into a dangerously low growl.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir. Awaiting your orders.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...Kill them. Kill them, cut their dicks off, and send them to Pellegrino. He needs to learn not to touch what isn’t his.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure about that, boss? It seems extreme-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We lost the fucking sale, Sheppard!” He slammed his fist on his desk. “We’ve never lost a sale, not since my grandfather started in this game, and now Pelligrino fucked it up. There is a delicate balance at play here and he’s upsetting it. He needs to learn a lesson.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You aren’t afraid of retaliation?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He struck first. Now do as you’re told.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right away, boss.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wanted for his inner circle to leave before letting out a deep breath. This was not how he’d pictured his day going when he woke up this morning. He’d woken up to Jared sleeping on top of him and having a </span>
  <em>
    <span>very </span>
  </em>
  <span>nice dream. The morning had been spent doing more kissing and teasing and attempting to make a pancake breakfast, just like so many other mornings before that. How could he have been foolish enough to think that would last?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Quit slipping. Focus.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He gripped the edge of his desk and steeled himself for his next move. The business was his priority. Jared was also his priority. Jared, who was publicly with him, even appearing in a few tabloids. Jared, who anyone with a brain could see Jensen cared about. Jared, who was the perfect target for an asshat like Pelligrino. He cringed just at the thought, but it might be time to talk to his boyfriend about protection. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Somehow, he didn’t think the idea would be well received.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. Absolutely not.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jared-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jen, no. I don’t need a babysitter.” Jared rolled his eyes and turned back to the soup he was trying not to burn. “I appreciate the concern but I know how to take care of myself.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jared, you need to listen to me on this. I’m only thinking about your safety.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sighed softly, still not turning to face Jensen. Deep down, Jared knew he was right. He’d accepted being the public partner of a Mob Boss and part of that meant being a target for possible enemies. Hell, that was why he’d wanted it to be a secret at first, to avoid the fallout of a deal like this. But up until now, there’d been no mentions of a bodyguard. Sure, Jensen had insisted he get a more intense security system for the apartment and dropped hints here and there about moving in with him but nothing so bold. “What’s brought this on anyway?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen clenched his jaw. “One of my competitors made a risky move, one that cost me an important sale. I can’t help but worry that won’t be where it ends.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was sweet, the way Jensen tried to keep him out of everything. They never talked about that side of his work in as many words. Jared had no idea who his competitors were, just that they existed. He had no idea who he was making sales to or what was in them, just that sales were being made. He had no idea who Jensen had meetings with every day about the business, just that those meetings happened and sometimes they made Jensen frustrated enough for an intense massage session. Normally, Jared was glad for it but if it was this serious, he had questions. “What makes you think this competitor would come for me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This bastard’s been a pain in my ass for a while now and you’re pretty well known as being my partner. If this is going where I think it’s going, I’d rather be safe than sorry.” Jensen walked over to him and rested his hand on Jared’s cheek, giving him that same pleading look from before. The look that said ‘if you say no I’ll back off but I really need you to say yes’. And fuck if that look, the look of a guard begging to protect his charge, didn’t do things to him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But was he ready for that? Having a bodyguard, walking around with a shadow? He’d need to trust someone other than Jensen with his life and given hat he hardly knew any of Jensen’s friends, let alone friends from </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> side of the business, it was hard to imagine doing that. Still...he asked so nicely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...Can I meet whoever you want to set me up with first? If a stranger is following me around I’ll just feel weird and paranoid?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen visibly relaxed with the knowledge that Jared would let him do this. “Of course you can. I’ll set something up for tomorrow. Lunchtime sound good?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sounds perfect.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-----------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katie Cassidy may be young but she wasn’t new to the protection scene. She specialized in undercover work, hiding in crowds where having a visible bodyguard would be a danger in itself. In all her years of work, she never had a client be injured and she had glowing reviews. Like many of her collegues, she was pretty sure she’d seen everything this work had to offer.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was until she learned that her new potential charge was a 6’4” muscular sasquatch of a man who owned a coffee shop of all things. Why would someone like that need protection? But Mr. Ackles was willing to pay far more than her usual rate and a review from a man like that would give her all the offers she could ever hope for, if not more. She was in. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Padalecki. Mr. Ackles has told me quite a bit about you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man sitting across from her cringed. “Call me Jared? Sorry, I’m kind of new to all this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Obviously.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “I understand. I’m sure you have some questions.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, a few, but that’s not why I wanted to meet you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is that so?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Look, I’m not completely convinced I even need you but Jen can be really pushy about this. I just need you to understand I’d like to live a normal life. I don’t need someone hovering around me at all hours of the day.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hate to tell you this but that’s kind of what Mr. Ackles wants to hire me for.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I get that. I just… He picked you because you’re good at not looking like a bodyguard, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am trained in stealth, yes, and most of my work has been as a plainclothes guard.If you’re worried about me scaring off your patrons, I’m very good at sitting in a corner pretending to read a newspaper. I doubt they’ll even notice.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right, but my friends-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve done undercover work. You can just introduce me as someone you met at a party and I’ll become familiar enough with them to remain out of their suspicions.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He seemed to relax at her reassurances. “That’s good…. Sorry, I know this must seem weird. I’ve just...never really needed protection before and now I’m getting it whether I really want it or not. It’s weird.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She briefly wondered if he felt insulted that Mr. Ackles was getting a guard for him but she pushed the thought out of her mind. She was here to do a job, not speculate on her clients’ love life. “I’m sure it is. Rest assured that I am a professional and I’m a master at discretion. You’ll probably forget I’m there after a while.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They chatted a bit more about his concerns before they parted ways. She was glad he felt better about this whole arrangement since Mr. Ackles had made it clear this deal would go no further if Jared had said no. As they walked out of the cafe, she saw a figure move in the corner of her eye. On a busy street, it shouldn’t seem so out of place but it did. Narrowing her eyes, she scanned the area for more information. The figure was nowhere to be seen; not inherently good or bad but concerning nonetheless. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She shook her head again and set off on her way home. It looked like she would have work in the morning.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-----------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared hummed softly while he closed up for the night. It had been a long and hectic day but it was over. Jensen would be waiting for him when he got home and they would watch a movie together and probably fall asleep on the couch. Chuckling to himself, he put away the cleaning supplies and grabbed his keys to lock up when he heard a bang at the back door. For a moment he froze, waiting for the telltale squeak of hinges or thud of a dangerous footstep. Hearing nothing, he decided to go investigate.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It’s probably nothing.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He held his pepper spray in hand anyway. He took a deep breath and swung open the door to find an empty alleyway, not even a stray cat in sight. Somehow, he didn't feel comforted by that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The pit in his stomach only grew when he heard glass shattering from the front of the shop.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Only barely remembering to lock the back door, he ran to the front to see someone had thrown a rock through one of his big glass windows. Vandalism was nothing new to him; kids used to spray paint all over the place when he was first opening up shop and it still happened every now and again. But this was different. Someone had distracted him so they could throw a rock through his window. A rock that he just now noticed had a note attached to it. He gingerly picked it up and his blood ran cold.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>How does it feel to be Ackles’ bottom bitch? xoxo</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What the hell had he gotten himself into?</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The aftermath of Jared being exposed to the dangers of dating a mob boss</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>“You aren’t afraid of retaliation?”</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sheppard's words rang in his ears the second he got the call from Jared. They rang loud and clear as he put his jacket on and got into the car. They were almost deafening by the time he got to the scene.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You aren’t afraid of retaliation?”</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared was talking to a couple of police officers. To anyone else, he would’ve seemed fine but Jensen saw through that. He was standing unnaturally straight like he didn’t trust himself not to crumple if he relaxed, and he kept running his hands through his hair, likely hiding how his hands were shaking. Jared was practically shattered and it was all his fault.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You aren’t afraid of retaliation?”</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He waited until Jared was alone before walking over and wrapping him in a hug. “Hey…. Are you ready to go?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His boyfriend just nodded and let him lead the way to the car. Quiet Jared was never a good sign. “Hey, it’s all gonna be okay. I can have the window fixed in less than 24 hours, maybe get you that thick bulletproof stuff.” No response. “Do you want me to call your employees and let them know what happened?” A nod. That was all he was getting for now. He could work with that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He instructed the driver to take them to Jensen’s house; if Pellegrino knew where Jared worked, he wasn’t going to take any chances on his home address. Not now, not tonight, especially not with only a home security system defending them. He didn’t care if it was a top-of-the-line system, he wasn’t taking any chances.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>About halfway there, Jared sat up suddenly. “Where are we going?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Home.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This isn’t the way to my apartment.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know. We’re going to my place.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, no we’re not.” Jensen winced at the irritation in Jared’s voice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jared-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This isn’t up for debate. My </span>
  <em>
    <span>shop</span>
  </em>
  <span> was just </span>
  <em>
    <span>vandalized</span>
  </em>
  <span> by someone who has beef with </span>
  <em>
    <span>you.</span>
  </em>
  <span> I want to go home to </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> apartment and </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> bed and </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> feel-good movie collection!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Trust me, you’ll be much safer at my place.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t care, I want to go home.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jared, this isn’t a discussion. I need to keep you safe and after what happened tonight, your apartment isn’t going to cut it!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re right, this isn’t a discussion. I want to go home, now, and I will get out of this car and walk there if I have to!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen grit his teeth. Why was Jared fighting him on this? They both wanted the same thing, right? He could keep his boyfriend safer at his house than at the apartment. He had to do this before something else happened. “Jared, you don’t understand-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I understand enough! Whatever is going on with </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> side of your business has bled over to me and you feel bad. It’s a nice gesture but I just want to go home. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>need </span>
  </em>
  <span>to go home.” And then he used the puppy eyes. How was he supposed to say no to that?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Damn it.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He ordered the driver back to Jared’s place, already regretting this. He sent a message to Katie, telling her she was starting work early. Just because they weren’t using his house didn’t mean they had to be completely unprotected. Jared could beg and puppy eyes all he wanted but Jensen was firm on that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared was freaking out and the way Jensen was acting wasn’t helping at all. Okay, so he had reason to be worried, fine, but that didn’t mean he could just waltz in and do things his way. He wanted to protect Jared? Fine, but Jared was setting the terms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His coffee shop...the only thing in his life that’s ever truly been his. For the past few years, it’d been a safe haven, the one place that seemed untouchable. He met the most amazing people in that shop, including the man sitting next to him. And now it was...tainted. It didn’t matter if the window got fixed in 24 hours or 24 days, he would always think about this. And it was likely he’d never get any real closure since he had no idea who did this and he doubted Jensen would say anything to that end.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The rest of the car ride was silent, as was the walk up to his apartment. “I’m sorry for snapping at you,” he murmured as they walked in. “It’s just...it’s been a night. I’m still getting used to all this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You knew the dangers when we started this,” Jensen replied, not doing much to keep the irritation out of his voice. “Almost a year now we’ve been doing this. I’ve never kept the danger a secret.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know that but-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But what? Didn’t expect it to be this scary? I’ve been in this my whole life, Jared! My life’s always been under some kind of threat, even before I took over.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Exactly! You’ve been in this your whole life!” He groaned in exasperation. “Jen, I’ve had less than a year to get used to being in a relationship in the first place and come to terms with the fact that my partner was a dangerous man on top of that. Yes, I knew and accepted the dangers but knowing something in my mind and having to deal with it in reality are two </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> different things! There’s a difference between knowing in my head that someday someone </span>
  <em>
    <span>might</span>
  </em>
  <span> try to kill me and having someone </span>
  <em>
    <span>break my window</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” He plopped down on the couch, resting his head in his hands. “I just need a minute to process, okay?” he pleaded. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen was quiet for a few minutes before coming to sit next to him. “I’m sorry,” he started, staring at his feet. “I know you’re new to this and we haven’t really had trouble in this area before. I’m a little surprised we made it this long, to be honest. I let myself get complacent, allowed myself not to worry so much about it and kept indulging in this little fantasy you provide me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...Fantasy?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jared, there’s a difference between me in this apartment with you right now and me when I’m in my office having a meeting. This Jensen is a normal guy with a sweet boyfriend who makes him coffee in the morning. He probably has a normal job, he drives a decent car, he wears clothes off the rack. Every now and then, he gives his boyfriend a fancy dinner because he can afford it but they don’t need it. This Jensen doesn’t have a goddamn worry in the world.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jensen Ackles the businessman has a lot more problems on his plate. Big problems involving money and border disputes and competition that’s just as deadly as he is. He has to make big decisions every day and he can’t let himself have weaknesses. He has to be quick and ruthless and oftentimes cruel. You haven’t seen that side of me since we started this mess and even then you didn’t really see it. But he exists and he makes choices that could land both of us in precarious situations, like the one we’re in right now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared sat back against the couch cushions with a soft huff. “So my shop was vandalized because you made a dumb choice.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t say that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really? Because that’s what it sounds like to me!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jared, in my world the best choice is probably the one that’s gonna land me in the most hot water. That doesn’t mean it’s dumb, it just means the people I have to work with are just as dangerous as me. It’s an industry of selfish people and sometimes that means other people get hurt. If there was a way I could’ve kept you out of it, I would have but you aren’t the only priority in my life.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well. That was certainly something. “Okay. Fine. Whatever. I’m gonna go take a shower.” He quickly stood and walked into the other room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He knew Jensen’s business was important to him. Family legacies are nothing to sneeze at and he has a lot of people counting on him. Jared understood that, even if he didn’t know all the details. He knew that, logically, he couldn’t expect Jensen to make him the ultimate priority when he had so many other things on his plate. But emotionally, it stung to have that acknowledged so blatantly. But it’s not like he was a saint in that department. How often had he canceled dates at the last minute for his own business concerns? Not exactly the same thing but still….</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He came out of the shower, refreshed and ready to finish talking things out with Jensen and froze when he saw a different person sitting on his couch. “Katie? Where-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mr. Ackles left,” she answered. “He had business to take care of. I’ll be handling your security for the rest of the night.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared nodded and headed back to his room. He didn’t like the way that conversation had ended and he was a firm believer in never going to bed angry. But Jensen had business to take care of, likely whatever it was that led to that night’s events. Whatever problems he had with Jared would just have to be put on hold for a while.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was fine. He could learn to live with that. Just like any other compromise.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared had business to worry about too. He needed to tell everyone the shop would be closed tomorrow and why and try to calm any ruffled feathers. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This was fine.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>----------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen fixed his tie as he walked into his office, jeans and leather jacket abandoned as soon as he’d gotten back into the car. He knew there were still some loose ends with Jared but Katie had shown up and he had confidence she could handle security and he could always send Jared flowers for the morning. Right now, he had very pressing issues to handle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He needed to arrange for the window to be replaced and look into installing cameras and a proper security system around the store. Then there was the matter of tracking down who actually did the deed and making sure they were punished accordingly. He knew Pellegrino was the one that made the order but he couldn’t touch that bastard yet. Fucking up his sale was one thing but fucking with Jared meant war and Jensen did not fuck around with that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sheppard, what do you have for me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You want the good news or the bad news first?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bad news.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pellegrino hit two of the safe houses. One of them, the cash was stolen and the guards were killed. The second, the guards were badly beaten and the money was confiscated by law enforcement.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What the hell does he think he’s doing?” Now he was really pissed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The good news is, we have another hostage. A third safe house was attempted but they were unprepared. Despite that, this fellow seems knowledgeable on Pellegrino’s operations.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How do you figure?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He doesn’t respond to the usual techniques. No fear, no desperate fountain of information. Just stone-cold silence. A loyal grunt if I ever saw one.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen shot Sheppard a shark-like grin. “Is that so? Well, tell the boys they can have the night off. I’ll be handling this session personally.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is that wise?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen poured himself a glass of whiskey. “Sheppard, wisdom is not my current concern. My concern is that Pellegrino seems to think he can manipulate me. First, he kills my men and ruins my deal. Then he threatens my lover. And now he’s decided to kick me while he thinks I’m down. If anyone should be worried about the wisdom of his choices, it’s him. As for me, I’m doing my job. I’m responding to threats by politely reminding that bastard why the Ackles family has remained on top all these years. Now, if you don’t mind, tell me where the interrogation is happening and I will step in.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Sheppard regarded him with a strange glint in his eye. “Of course, sir. You’ll find them at the Ranch. I’ll go ahead and let them know you’re on your way.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen sipped his whiskey as Sheppard left. His phone dinged with a message from Jared and he would never admit how quickly he checked it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>[From: Jay]: I’m sorry about earlier. I shouldn’t have stormed off like that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He smiled softly. Jared didn’t need to apologize; Jensen certainly wouldn’t have. But he already knew his boyfriend was a better man than him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>[To: Jay]: It’s okay, I get it. It’s a lot to get used to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>[To: Jay]: I’ll call you tomorrow. Things are wild at the office.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>[From: Jay]: Okay. ily</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He swallowed hard and send a good night text before turning his phone off. He didn’t have the time to deal with that confession, if that even counted as one. He had a job to do.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>*drops chapter and scurries away*</p>
<p>Inspiration is a bitch.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"Let me explain this to you one more time." Jensen weighed the crowbar in his hand. It was covered in blood from the number of times he'd slammed it against the man's ribs. “You tell me what I want to know, I kill you quickly. You keep stalling, I keep torturing you.” His companion hung from the ceiling by a chain binding his wrists with his toes barely scraping the floor. “So, I’ll ask again: who attacked the coffee shop?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The man grinned and spit blood at him, only adding to the spatter patterns on his shirt. Thankfully, he’d already removed his tie. “You think Pellegrino would surround himself with someone who breaks so easily? Guess you Ackles’ aren’t as unshakable as you thought. Wonder what you’d do if it went any further with your boy….”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jensen hit him with the crowbar again, fighting a smile as he gasped for breath. “I’ve never claimed to be anything more than human. I will admit, I made an error in having my relationship be so public but the Ackles name demands respect in this city; I thought I’d made that clear when I returned some of your boss’s property a few days ago.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He won’t give up you know.” There was no warning in the man’s voice, only a statement of fact. “And he’s smart, learned from some of the best; better than your old man ever was.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jensen set the crowbar down and grabbed a long dagger. “Oh, I know how smart he is. Why do you think I took the time to handle you personally? If Pellegrino were as ameatuer as everyone else, I would’ve had one of my enforcers handle it. You should consider this flattering, really.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How kind of you. My admiration only grows.” Any other smart comments he might’ve made were cut off by screams as Jensen cut through his Achilles tendons, adding more blood to his body. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe we should switch gears. Would you mind telling me why you decided to hit my safe houses and my transactions?” he could always figure out who’d handled the attack on Jared later.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Another retort. Another scream.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Have you ever considered being a bit less of a smartass? I’ve heard it makes life much easier.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>-----------------</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jared was pacing. Well, pacing as well as he could with his long legs and his tiny apartment. Katie was sharpening her knife but he could feel her eyes on him. He knew it was her job but it was still unnerving.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Almost all his staff quit after news of the attack spread; none of them wanted to be involved in a potential gang war. He couldn’t blame them but he wasn’t sure he could keep the shop running with just him and Genevieve. She might not even be guaranteed; she hadn’t quit yet but she hadn’t really replied to any of his messages either. So he was potentially running his busy coffee shop all on his own, assuming he felt like opening it again. As much as he’d insisted on coming back to his apartment, a small part of him wanted nothing more than to go to wherever Jensen lived and stay locked inside where none of this would touch him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But he couldn’t hide. There was no point in that.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You should get used to this.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He startled when Katie spoke up and turned to face her. “What?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“This. Hiding from attackers, having a bodyguard, being the target of other peoples’ frustrations with Jensen. Whether you like it or not you signed up for this when you agreed to date him. Even if you broke it off now, you’d be a target because anyone with a pair of eyes can see he’s infatuated with you and would do damn near anything for you. So get used to things like this.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was nothing he hadn’t been prepared to hear. He knew the dangers when he signed up, he’d be an idiot not to. But for so long they went on without a hitch. Jensen never brought his work home with him, often not even talking about his legitimate business. No threats had ever been made on them. No attacks ever came up on date night. They’d been living in a sort of bliss state where all of that wasn’t their reality. Jared had let himself get swept up in this fantasy that it would always be like that. That Jensen would always shield him from this sort of thing and he could live peacefully.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When did he get to be so optimistic?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He sat down on the catch and stared at his phone. He hadn’t heard from Jensen in hours. Jensen never said he would call or text or anything but still, he’d hoped for some sort of sign that everything was okay. Or at least okay as they could be.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>What the hell had he been thinking? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ily</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Now was hardly the time for romantics! Was that why Jensen hadn’t responded? Fuck’s sake. He was thinking too much again. He was regretting his earlier decision to wait up for his boyfriend; it had clearly been far too many hours since he was in bed. But he couldn’t sleep now, not until he knew that everything was okay.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly, Katie got out of her seat and headed for the door. Was someone there? He hadn’t heard anything. He watched as Katie did a complex series of knocks on the door and, when it seemed she had the appropriate response, she opened the door to-</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Jensen.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Jared.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Katie relocked the door and returned to her knives; he still felt her unsettling gaze.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jensen sat on the couch next to him with a sigh. “The window of your shop has been fixed. I also had the locks changed and added security cameras. I know I probably should’ve asked you first but-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s okay,” he whispered. Jared tentatively reached for his hand and softly squeezed. “I get it. You want to look out for me. I do wish you’d told me though as I could’ve saved you the trouble. Pretty much everyone bailed on me so I’m not sure I’ll even be opening those doors again, new keys or not.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jensen went stiff, suddenly seeming a million miles away. “...They left because of me, didn’t they?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, not you directly-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t sugarcoat it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jared sighed and shrugged. “What do you want me to say? They’re just worried about their safety. It’s not your fault someone suddenly decided to be an asshole.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Unless it is.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jared stared at him quizzically as Jensen stood up to fetch beer for both of them. “What does that mean?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His boyfriend gave him one of those calculating looks as he set the bottles down. “I can tell you what I mean by that but there’s a lot more I’d have to tell you. Things that I’ve been hiding as part of a business you probably shouldn’t be hearing about. It’s probably best if-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Tell me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jensen stared at him for a few moments before turning away and sipping his beer. “I shouldn’t. I’ll tell you if you really want to know but I really think I shouldn’t.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Jen-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Jared, what I would have to tell you isn’t a bedtime story. It isn’t out of </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Godfather</span>
  </em>
  <span> or </span>
  <em>
    <span>The Sopranos</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It’s real and it’s my every day. Every day, I run drugs and guns in this city. I order people to be killed or I do it myself. I’ve had blood on my hands since I was fifteen and I’ve never been allowed to forget that. Not-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Until you met me,” he whispered, reaching to squeeze Jensen’s hand again. “I know. At least, I think I do. But you hiding all of this from me isn’t going to help. I know you want to protect me but you can’t be here all the time and I can’t take care of myself if I don’t know what I’m up against. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>need</span>
  </em>
  <span> you to tell me what’s going on. I don’t need your whole life story but I need to know what’s going on now. Who’s after you? Why? Why did they turn me into a target? And what are we going to do about it?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jensen was quiet for a few moments, like he was processing everything. “...If you’re sure, I’ll tell you. But I need you to make me a promise.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Anything.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You stay out of it.” Jensen fixed him with a hard stare. “This isn’t my first time down this road and it doesn’t end well. I won’t keep you shut out anymore if that’s what you really want but you do not get involved. You do not take action against these people. You do not try to help me handle it. I know what I’m doing and all I need from you is to know that you’re safe. Promise me that you’ll stay out of this, Jared, promise.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I do.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jensen nodded and took a long sip of his beer. “Alright. Then I’ll tell you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jared swallowed hard. This was happening. It was too late to back out now. He was going to hear a small snippet of what went on in the city’s underworld and he could never take it back. He now had access to information that could land him in jail if he didn’t go to the authorities with it right away. The one thing Jensen always tried to keep him away from.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m listening.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Merry Christmas! Have some angst!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>As much as Jensen wanted to hold back, he knew he couldn’t. Indulging this fantasy life is part of why they were in trouble in the first place and it was time for a change. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mark Pellegrino is a man who’s been agitating my business lately. We’ve had scuffles in the past but last week he kicked it up a notch and fucked up a gun deal. We lost the sale and some good men. In return, we tortured a few of his men and sent back their dicks as a warning.” He didn’t look at Jared’s face but he could only imagine it was filled with horror. “Him attacking your shop was likely retaliation, though it’s possible that it was planned in advance. He also hit some of my safe houses that night and we were lucky enough to capture one of his men, likely someone close to him. He didn’t tell me anything during my interrogation but it was nice to get out of the office. I haven’t handled one of those personally in a while.” If he hadn’t spent hours cleaning himself, Jared would probably be able to smell the blood on him. “Pellegrino came from another crime syndicate and decided to set up his own operation in Dallas. I control most of this city but there are some areas that belong to smaller groups; his is the biggest one and he’s always been pretty clear about wanting to expand his territory. I imagine he only started causing real trouble now because of you. He thinks our relationship gives him an edge.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Does it?” Jared didn’t speak like an insecure partner looking for reassurance, but it was still a loaded question.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jared, I would never willingly put you in the line of fire but it’s always going to be there. My mother knew this too and her way of dealing with it was being as far away as possible for as long as she could. How you deal with that is your own choice. I can’t say that I would give up my organization for you but I can say that if you ever did end up in serious danger because of me, I would do everything in my power to get you back.” Jensen locked eyes with him, scanning him for any kind of reaction. Jared was usually pretty easy to read but he wasn’t sure what to expect here. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After what felt like an eternity, he got his answer. “Jen, I’d never ask you to choose between me and your work. I knew this was going to be dangerous when we started it but I didn’t really care then. I’m not sure how much I care now. I mean, I am a little concerned and, given my earlier freak-out, I’m not always great in a crisis, but I’m not going anywhere. If we’re doing this, we’re doing it together, for better or for worse.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Together.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Jensen liked the sound of that. “If we really are doing this, I’m going to need you to listen to me more. I know you can take care of yourself but that doesn’t mean you get to brush me off if I’m worried. I’m not saying what happened last night was completely preventable but we could’ve been better prepared to deal with it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I’m starting to see that now. So...what do you think we should do now?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well for starters, I want you to come stay with me, at least for now. Pellegrino is a bug I should’ve taken care of a long time ago and I don’t need to make the situation more complicated by leaving you out in the open. I also think you should stay away from the shop for a while. You don’t have to shut it down entirely but I’d prefer having you close by until this is handled. I don’t expect you to stay locked in my bedroom or anything but for the next month or so we’re going to have to tread carefully.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay. I can do that.” Jared’s eyes were full of questions but he didn’t have time to think about those right now. They could have another heart-to-heart when he had a chance to breathe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good. Go ahead and pack a bag; we’ll be leaving in 20 minutes.” He pulled out his phone and sent a few messages to make arrangements for a guest at his home as well as for someone to stay in Jared’s vacant apartment. One could never be too careful when dealing with such precious cargo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>--------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared packed his bags methodically and with plenty of extras; for all he knew he might never be back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The last 48 hours had been such a ride, this was the first time he’d given himself a chance to really slow down and think about what he was doing. He needed to leave his home for his own safety; he knew Jensen wouldn’t have suggested it otherwise. He trusted his boyfriend, especially in this situation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still, his mind swam with other questions. Who exactly was Mark Pellegrino and why was he so insistent on getting bigger turf? It seemed like he was doing alright for himself if Jensen considered him worthy of being a problem. And what else did he not know about Jensen? What traumatic tales rested under his charming smiles and well-fitted suits? It suddenly occurred to him that they’d been dating for almost a year and he knew virtually nothing about Jensen’s upbringing or anything that happened to him beyond five years ago. Sure, he’d been cagey about his own backstory but he’d volunteered more light-hearted stories when the occasion arose. DId Jensen have any of his own to share? More importantly, would Jensen even answer those questions?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He could only hope.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The Ackles Estate was an old house that had slowly but surely been brought into the modern day. While Jensen did most of his work inside the city, he lived on the outskirts of it, enjoying a somewhat quieter atmosphere when he needed to relax and do some serious thinking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Right now, all he could think about was how right it was to have Jared here with him. Intellectually, he knew Jared had gone from living in a small town to living in a small apartment but he hadn’t prepared himself for the reaction to his home. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“You said this was a house! It’s a fucking mansion! I mean, I know you’re rich but still….”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen was sure the novelty would wear off eventually; this was all just new. Jared had instantly fallen in love with the kitchen, especially the coffee machine. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“Professional grade, Jen. Professional. Grade. Best coffee of your life tomorrow, promise.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> He was also sure that Jared would be making excellent use of the private gym and pool area, hopefully when he was home to enjoy it. There were plenty of square feet still to explore outside of the basics but after the excitement of the last couple days, his boyfriend was more than content to take a warm shower (“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Jensen, your shower has too many buttons. I need an instruction manual.”</span>
  </em>
  <span>) and go to bed (</span>
  <em>
    <span>“I can’t believe you have silk sheets. You’re such a rich-boy stereotype, honestly.”</span>
  </em>
  <span>). </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Right now, he was watching Jared sleep from his desk. He had a lot he planned on getting down tomorrow but Sheppard had promised him an update on the problem of their lost cash. He checked his email, ready for some sort of plan to be in the works on getting back what they lost from the police. Instead, he had something from an unknown sender. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>To: Jensen Ackles</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Subject: You think you have me figured out, don’t you ;)</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t need to click into it to know what that was about. He’d begun to suspect Pellegrino had a mole somewhere in his operation but this just confirmed it. If that’s how he wanted to play around, Jensen was more than happy to go along with it. He’d been prepared to play nice if Pellegrino had simply taken the opportunity to back down when he had the chance. But this? Blatantly disrespecting him on his own turf?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen fucking Ackles wasn’t going to play around. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pellegrino was a dead man and he would be taking his syndicate with him.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jensen gets to work and Jared gets some training.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey! I know it's been a hot minute but I'm back now and I actually have a bit of an outline going for the rest of this story so hopefully I'll be more consistent with my updates going forward.</p>
<p>Warning: Homophobia in the very beginning</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Cold. It was cold. Cold and humid. The air was stifling.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>He had to get up. He had to win. He had to prove that he could do this. Father was watching. But it hurt. It hurt….</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Awww, what’s the matter, pretty boy? Waiting for Daddy to kiss your little princess booboos? Fucking faggot….”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Snarling, Jensen got back to his feet and tackled his opponent. “It’s JENSEN. Fucking hets can’t listen worth a damn,” he muttered between throwing punches. He could win this. He always knew he would. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>When his opponent tapped out, he looked up with a grin, sure he would meet his father’s approval. Instead, he saw Jared. Jared, who looked horrified. “What the hell did you just do?!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Jared?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Stay away from me! You’re a monster!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Jared!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jensen woke with a start, panting softly as he tried to calm his heart down. A quick look at his alarm clock confirmed that it was way too early to be up but he doubted he’d be getting any more sleep. Ordinarily it was a miracle if he ever got more than five hours and it seemed tonight was no exception. Carefully untangling himself from Jared’s cuddlebug grip, he got out of bed and padded over to the bar for a wake-up drink.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As he sipped his beer, he mulled over his dream. It was hardly the first time that nightmare had rolled around, but this time it felt different. Probably because now Jared was fully aware of his activities and how much trouble they caused. He claimed to be okay with it, even after the scare a few days ago, but worry gnawed at Jensen’s gut. This was a dangerous life for everyone involved and not everyone was cut out for it. How long would Jared be content to let Jensen wrap him in bubble wrap? Would he adjust to more bodyguards and living at home base? Or would he run the first time Jensen came home with blood on his suit?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Speaking of which….</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He picked up his cellphone and left the room. “Sheppard? Any luck tracing that email?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Not yet, sir. Aldis is on it but something tells me it won’t be easy, even for him. Pellegrino is a smart man. Now, why did you really call?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You know me so well.” Jensen prayed Mark Sheppard wasn’t the mole. They’d been tight friends ever since Jensen started doing deals with him back in boarding school. They ran rackets out of their dorm room and they only got bigger as they moved on to college and whatever assignments Father had handed him. “You’ve already figured out we have a mole.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve suspected it for a while but there wasn’t enough to be sure until now. Pellegrino’s been playing it safe, letting us think it was all coincidences. Even if we had acted earlier, we probably wouldn’t have found anything.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Wish I could say that made me feel better. Anyway, I need a roster of everyone on the payroll, especially anybody added within the last eighteen months.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You think it’s a new guy?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Not necessarily, just covering our bases. It could be someone high up in the ranks or just some lucky punk that our managers forget to keep their lips shut around. That reminds me, we’ll need to get a memo out about how we handle our secrets. I know Speight’s been getting a little lackadaisical in his management style lately.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That so?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jensen snorted. “Did you see his report on the last drug run? I bet you 10k he had one of the underlings handle the logistics and just slapped his name on it later.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sheppard chuckled, a comforting sound in these trying times. “I’ll get you that list before you come in today. Now, go cuddle your boyfriend until it’s a reasonable hour, alright?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright. I’ll check in with you when the sun’s up.” Sighing, he hung up and went back into his room. He had a cuddlebug to reunite with.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>------------</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jared woke up to the soft sound of humming and Jensen stroking his hair. Part of him wanted to close his eyes again and pretend he was still asleep so he wouldn’t have to actually get up and face the day. The other, much larger, part of him wanted to kiss Jensen until he agreed not to leave the bed again for at least twelve more hours. Knowing neither of those fantasies were possible, he settled for sitting up and pecking his boyfriend on the cheek. “Morning…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Morning, sleeping beauty. How are you feeling?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jared shrugged. “I’m okay. Definitely better for sleeping on this mattress.” He wasn’t 100% by any means but at least he wasn’t freaking out anymore. “Not sure how I feel about not having anything to do for the foreseeable future but I’m sure I’ll figure something out.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know you will.” Jensen got out of bed and headed for his closet. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"What are you gonna do today?" Jared asked as casually as he could. "Do you know what time you'll be back?"</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>"Wish I could say I did. I'm gonna have a full plate today though so you probably shouldn't wait up for me." Jensen gave him an apologetic look as he got dressed. "I have a mole to uncover on top of all the normal duties. I know I'm not gonna get that done today but I have a lot of information to go through and I'm not sure of who I can trust to help me."</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jared nodded, watching him closely. "...I get it. Well, I don't get it but I understand. Do whatever you need to do." He was going to have to get used to this. He didn't know when he would be able to leave again and even then he would need to take way more precautions than usual. No one ever said dating a mob boss would be easy.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jensen smiled and kissed him softly. “I’ll see you later, okay? Samantha, the house manager, can keep you company while I’m gone and Katie should be around here somewhere.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jared sighed and flopped back on the pillows when the door closed behind him. Part of him wanted to go back to sleep and avoid the day. The other part of him was hungry and wanted to try out that coffee machine. His growling stomach won out so he grabbed a bathrobe and tried to remember where the kitchen was.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, you must be Jared. I was wondering when we’d finally get to meet.” He jumped and yelped when a woman mysteriously materialized outside the bedroom door. The woman giggled and rolled her eyes. “Sorry, forgot you just woke up. I’m Samantha Ferris; I handle everything around the house when Jensen is out. I take it you’re looking for some breakfast. Follow me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He allowed himself to have a quick second tour of the house, with Samantha providing extra commentary on the history of the place. He should’ve been paying more attention but he had other things on his mind. Oh well, he saw a library down the hall from the bedroom; he could get his fill there.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jared sighed as he finally got a sip of coffee. For a pre-ground brew, it wasn’t bad; he’d have to talk to Jensen about getting a bean grinder if he was going to stay here long term though. Years of running his own coffee shop and learning the ins and outs of the beverage had ruined regular coffee consumption for him. He was just about to dig into his breakfast when Katie Cassidy strolled in.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You have five minutes to eat that and then I want you dressed. We’re going on a trip.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jared narrowed his eyes at her. “And where exactly would we be going? Does Jensen know about this?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, but he’ll approve. You need to learn how to take care of yourself anyway.” She smirked and set a glock down on the breakfast bar. “This baby is going to be your new best friend. You have four minutes now, eat up. I’ll be waiting in the car for you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He stared at her as she flounced out of the kitchen like it was nothing. Well, to her it probably was. Regardless of how sudden this all seemed, he’d rather not find out what would happen if he was late to his impromptu weapons training so he scarfed down his breakfast and ran back upstairs to get dressed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Something told him this was going to be a long day.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>--------------</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jensen flipped through yet another page of employee records. In theory, he didn’t have to go through every single one of these. He wagered a good chunk of them weren’t even aware he was their boss and would have no real reason to harm him. Still, with something as serious as this, no stone could be left unturned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You know you don’t have to go through every single file on your own, right?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jensen fixed Sheppard with a look as he downed his fifth coffee of the day. “You know full well why I’m doing this alone.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m just saying, it’s not very efficient and if I were you, I’d want to have a close eye on Jared.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“The house has excellent security and I already have a bodyguard for him.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sheppard sighed and took a seat in front of his desk. “That’s not what I meant and you know it. We’ve already seen how extreme Pellegrino is willing to get and without knowing who the mole is, Jared is in a very vulnerable position.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And me being there is supposed to make it better?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“In theory, yes.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jensen leaned forward on his desk. “Explain.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s never made a direct physical attack on you, yet he seems perfectly capable of doing it. He knows where your safehouses are, your deals, your money, probably even where you live. He’s spent a lot of time attacking your assets and your private life but he’s never attempted a direct attack against you. I’m thinking Pellegrino doesn’t just want you out of the picture: he wants to ruin you to keep you out of it completely. He can’t do that by killing you outright. I could be off-base but I think keeping Jared close to you might save his life.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You sure seem confident in that analysis.” Jensen slowly stood from his chair, leaning forward on his fists. “Forgive me for my suspicions but I’d rather keep Jared as far away from all of this as possible.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sheppard gave him a knowing look, seemingly accepting his new (hopefully temporary) role on Jensen’s list. “Fine; he’s your boyfriend. It’s a good time for destination vacations anyhow.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Good man, Sheppard.” He had no intention of sending Jared out of the country, even if that would be a good idea. He had to admit there was a kernel of truth in Sheppard’s reasoning; nothing had happened directly to Jensen despite the fact that there had been plenty of opportunities for it. Keeping Jared close would keep him out of harm’s way and within Jensen’s sight, two things he needed for his own sanity.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>With a soft sigh, he sat in his chair and went back to his files. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>This was going to be a long day.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>---------------</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Smash.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Shatter.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Smash.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Break.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Not bad. Your stance could use some work though. Set up another set and we’ll try that again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jared gave her his best bitchface and grumbled but grabbed another set of ten glass bottles Katie had deemed their practice targets. Turned out his weapons training was just a slightly upgraded version of shooting cans off the back fence with his dad. Seeing as he hadn’t actually held a gun in years, he was doing pretty well. He could work the gun with ease, going through Katie’s unload-load-safety off-shoot sequence in about five seconds. The real trouble was his aim, which he could do but not as quickly as desired. Still, 7 out of ten bottles was pretty good.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>If only that were good enough.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Can we take a break after this set? We’ve been out here for hours and it’ll be timefo lunch soon.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“If you keep whining, I’ll make it another hour.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jared rolled his eyes but complied. They were on one of Jensen’s less-used properties, a seemingly abandoned farm complete with collapsing barn and surprisingly sturdy fences. Given how remote it was, he figured this particular form of torture was the most humane thing that had happened here. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Once the ten bottles were set up, he walked back to his shooting mark and assumed his stance. “Put your feet further apart and relax your hands. The gun isn’t going to hurt you nearly as much as it’s going to hurt the other guys.” Her tone was an odd combination of soothing and drill sergeant but it did the trick. He took a deep breath and followed her instructions, already feeling better about handling the weapon in his hands.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Smash.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Shatter.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Smash.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Break.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Shatter.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Smash.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Smash.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>
      <br/>
    </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>Shatter.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Break.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Shatter.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Good. Do it again to make sure that wasn’t a fluke and I’ll see about getting us some burgers.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Repressing a sigh, he set the gun down and got more bottles while silently wondering if he should just run until he found reception and get Jensen to come pick him up. He wouldn’t, since he liked Katie and they weren’t supposed to be out here, but the urge was there.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Just a few more hours….</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>--------</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Jensen rubbed his eyes and pushed his chair back from his desk. Despite how daunting the pile of files had seemed this morning, he’d managed to whittle it down to about ten suspects. There were only so many people who knew his organization so well or were even capable of pulling this kind of treachery off, even a group as large as the Ackles’. He left all the papers on his desk to keep his suspicions quiet for the time being. He had to be smart about how he did this. If the mole thought they were being sniffed out, they’d likely just run and that was the last thing he needed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Looking at the clock, he cringed when he saw what time it was. He hadn’t made any promises to Jared that morning for a reason but he still didn’t like that it was past midnight. It was hardly the first time he’d done that so it wouldn’t cause any trouble for him but still. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>By the time he got home, it was just past one in the morning and he got the feeling that something was off. The house was quiet, as it should be, but it seemed different somehow. He casually pulled out his gun as he walked through the empty hallways. Nothing stood out as suspicious and yet….</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He decided to make a stop by the security room before he joined Jared in the bedroom, just to make sure. There was nothing on any of the cameras but he trusted his gut; something was off and- What was that?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There was a shadow, just barely on the outskirts of the property. It could just be the neighbor’s kids; property lines got lost when there were woods in between everything. But he knew that wasn’t right. Someone was out there, casing the joint.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He could do the smart thing and call the police but he didn’t trust them for a second. He knew well enough that anything related to his family wouldn’t get top priority and even then, there was no guarantee that the justice system would pull through. But he couldn’t go out guns blazing either, not without a plan or back up. He couldn’t do anything without causing himself more problems.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gritting his teeth, he trudged upstairs to the bedroom. He wouldn’t be able to sleep but staring at a problem he couldn’t solve wouldn’t help matters. At least in his room he would have Jared within arm’s reach. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He decided to forgo the shower for the night and just stripped and got into bed with his sleeping boyfriend. Smiling, he pushed the hair back out of Jared’s face and allowed himself a few moments of peace. He could solve his problems in the morning. Right now, he was spooning the love of his life.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 16</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A day in the new life of Jared Padalecki.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>....I'm not sorry in advance</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Jared woke up with a groan, still feeling tired from the day before. He knew if it weren't for his internal clock, he'd probably be out for another hour and something told him Katie wouldn't be too happy about that. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Rough day yesterday?” he heard Jensen’s amused tone from somewhere above him but he wasn’t quite in the mood to open his eyes to see. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorta. Katie’s mean. You need to stay here and protect me from her." He turned and buried his face in Jensen's chest. "She took me for gun training yesterday and I think she's just getting started." He opened his eyes and smacked Jensen's arm when he heard a chuckle. "Meanie…."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Sorry, part of the job description. Unfortunately, I do have to leave. I'll try not to be as late today, okay?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared nodded and sat up. "Can I ask what you're doing or do I want to know?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "Pellegrino's got a mole in my organization. I've got a list of suspects and I need to figure out who it is as soon as possible. Trouble is, I can’t let on that I know anything until I’m sure or I risk another attack.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared regarded him closely. He knew that was the most he was going to get and he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear more but he had a gut feeling there was something else. “...Anything else going on today?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>HIs boyfriend took a few more moments of silence before continuing. “When I came home last night, I checked the cameras and noticed someone lingering on the edge of the property.” Jared’s eyes went wide at that confession. “I don’t know who they are or how long they were there or why. I brought you here to keep you safe but it might be worth considering you going away for a while.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Like your mother used to?” he murmured softly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Something like that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But you don’t want to do that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Honestly? No. I’d rather have you close by, where I can get to you if I need to. But I understand if you’d rather try to escape Pellegrino’s reach.” Jensen looked like he wanted to say something else but kept his mouth shut, looking at Jared expectantly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He considered his options. On the one hand, getting out of the country could keep him safe and do a little globe-trotting in one go. On the other hand, he knew he wouldn’t be able to relax if he was so far away. Jensen was in just as much danger as he was if not more and if something happened while he was gone…he shuddered just thinking about it. “I think I’d rather be here too. I’d be too worried if I went away.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen nodded and got up to get dressed. “Alright. If you change your mind, let me know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>----------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Three hours later, Jared was somewhat seriously considering calling Jensen and getting on a plane to Italy or wherever. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Of course, doing so would require getting out of Katie’s hold, finding his phone, and running far enough away to get signal and he seriously doubted his ability to do that. “Jared, you won’t be able to break out of this if your mind is somewhere else. You’re a big boy; assess the situation and then move.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He took and took a deep breath. He knew how he got in this position; Katie went for his legs and got him off balance. But she didn’t have as much energy focused on his legs now so if he could sit up….</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There, you’re thinking. But I’m still on you and your arms are pinned.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He rolled his eyes, thankful she couldn’t see, and tried again. His arms weren’t completely pinned, just from his shoulder to his elbow, so if he could get his hands up…. He grasped at her hands and leaned back, hoping she would let go to save herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katie did just that, rolling out from under him and smirking when he landed flat on his back. “Not bad. You need to think in the moment. Hand-to-hand combat is just as much about immediate defense as it is winning. You have to stay on top.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared groaned and sat up, reaching for the water bottles off to the side. “I’m not sure why I need to learn this if I already know how to shoot and you’re supposed to protect me from danger anyway.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, first of all, knowing how to shoot and shooting effectively are two different things. Also, you won’t always have a gun on you. Secondly, even with me around, being able to protect yourself is a safety precaution. What if there’s more than one attacker? Or what if I’m in the bathroom? Or what if I’m actually an assassin in disguise?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Then I wouldn’t trust anything you teach me in case you’re trying to make it easier to beat me.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Katie laughed and held out her hand to help him up. “Relax, I would never. Besides, you’re doing pretty good for your first day. Not exactly a pro but you don’t have to be, you just have to survive. If nothing else, you’re scrappy. We just need to work on your response time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Great. More work.</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Can we take a break first? You made me skip breakfast and there’s some fresh food in the fridge….”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Knock yourself out, princess. But when we get back in it, I’m not gonna hold back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I expect nothing less.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared was sore. And tired. But mostly sore. A day of wrestling and then boxing and then Intro to MMA would do that to a guy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The house was quiet and Jared wasn’t going to complain about that. If he wasn’t so hellbent on getting in a shower and then getting in bed, he might wonder why Jensen wasn’t home yet like he said he would be. He might wonder why there were barely any messages on his phone. He might even wonder where the house staff was. But Jared was sore and tired and his brain was not functioning at a high enough capacity to notice any of that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t until after he got out of the shower that he noticed anything was off. For one, Jensen’s laptop was open, which never happened when Jensen himself wasn’t sitting at it. Second, his email was open, another thing that never happened unless Jensen was there. And Jensen couldn’t be here because if he was, Jared would be making a blanket cocoon for them right there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He cautiously approached the screen and saw there was a new email. He shouldn’t open that; it probably had something he didn’t need to see. Then he read the subject line and his blood ran cold.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>An Ackles Never Learns a Lesson. Maybe We Need to Adjust Our Strategy.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He knew he would regret opening it but he couldn’t help himself. He had to make sure. It had to be a joke. A prank. A bluff. Jensen couldn’t be-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared slammed the laptop shut just as his phone started ringing. That wasn’t a good sign.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jared, good lad, this is Mark Sheppard. I’m-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“One of Jensen’s men. I know.” One of the few names he did learn before everything went to shit. “Where’s Jensen?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You don’t know either? I suppose he isn’t ignoring my calls because you’re keeping him busy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, but someone else is.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pardon?”</span>
  <span></span>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come to the house. Now. I have something to show you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right then. Should I call the others?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No.” Jared knew Jensen trusted Sheppard and he didn’t want this getting too far. Who knew who else was aware of Jensen’s disappearance and how many of them knew exactly why? “Get here quickly. Don’t let anyone else know what you’re doing and make sure you aren't followed.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“On my way as we speak. Be careful.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared grabbed his Glock from the pile of dirty clothes and sat out of view of the window. He needed to calm down. He needed to breathe. He needed to figure out what had happened to Jensen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hopefully, before it was too late.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 17</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>New information comes to light on both sides of this predicament. Jared has yet another shock to get through and Jensen just needs to hold on.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Once again, I'm sorry for nothing.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Dark. Not natural dark, blindfold.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Arms, chained. Shoulders ache, been like this for a while. </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Cold. Wet cold.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Think, think. How did you get here and how can you get out?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mark Sheppard was not a good man. He never was and he doubted he ever would be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mark Sheppard was a cruel man. He was a cunning man. He was a very rich man. Most important, he was a loyal man. He always would be and he doubted he'd ever stop.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He'd met Jensen Ackles when his father sent him to boarding school to keep him safe. Mark had already been there for a few years and had semi-successfully built a black market for most goods banned by the school. Pure luck made them roommates; brilliant minds made them partners. In just a month, Jensen expanded his business, complete with a network of distributors and runners (most of which didn't even know who ran the show), and helped him hide the money in various bank accounts. Ever since then, the two had been thick as theives, going from boarding school to university to his father's personal mentorship. No one was surprised when Jensen named Sheppard as his second when he officially took over the organization.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>All that history made it all the more painful when Jensen pushed him out of that circle of trust with this mole case. It was hardly the first one they'd ever had to deal with and, while Jensen was a paranoid son of a bitch sometimes, he always knew who his allies were. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In this case, Mark somewhat understood it. This was different from the FBI planting a very excitable agent that gave himself away easily. This was something planned by someone who knew the business very well, someone who had easily infiltrated Jensen’s business or possibly someone already inside that had been turned by outside forces. There was also more than Jensen’s money at stake here. Someone he cared about very much was at risk and Mark could hardly blame him for being worried.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d never met Jared before but everything he’d heard was nothing less than a positively glowing review. According to the lore, his smile could make flowers grow, his laughter could make even the fussiest baby stop crying, and his eyes were the most enchanting thing ever created.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was sure if they were meeting under different circumstances, he’d be inclined to agree. But for now he had to deal with a very different part of Jared Padalecki, one that used every inch of his 6’4” to his advantage and had an unwavering focus on his goal: finding Jensen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I got home and he wasn’t here. I didn’t think anything of it because he said he might be late but I noticed his laptop was open when I came out of the shower and I know he never has it open unless he’s using it. I didn’t see his phone anywhere and there was a new email in his inbox. I was going to open it when you called but I doubt there’s any good news.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mark had to agree. The subject line was intimidating enough but knowing the circumstances under which it was found just made it worse.Someone had actually been inside the house and messed with Jensen Ackles’ things, presumably after doing something to the man himself. “Do you want to look at it? I’m opening it either way.”Jared just nodded and stood over his shoulder. If Jensen hadn’t waxed poetic about the man’s morning hair routine, Mark might think he was a bodyguard.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Without any obvious hesitation, he opened the email and waited for the files to load. There were several, all of them photos. At first, they consisted of Jensen and Jared in the beginning of their relationship (“Lovely meet-cute you had there”), but then they slowly started to focus more on Jared. Eventually, Jared was the sole focus of the photos, including many outside his apartment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The email ended with a photo consisting only of Jensen. He was clearly unconscious, hanging from a hook in the ceiling of a rather dingy space. There was a rather muscular man standing beside his body with an evil grin. Mark had never seen him before but Jared’s audible gasp filled in a few blanks for him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This wasn’t about Jensen, not entirely anyway. It was still incredibly likely that this fellow was involved with Pellegrino, but that clearly wasn’t his only motive here.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pellegrino was after Jensen. This smirking bastard was after something else.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mark spun around in his chair and fixed Jared with an icy glare. “Tell me what you know about that man. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Now.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen blinked when the blindfold was harshly ripped off him and harsh bright light assaulted his vision. After a few moments, he adjusted and was able to get a decent look at the space around him. There wasn’t much he could see, most of it cloaked in shadow since the light was mostly focused in his direction, but he could see enough. “If you wanted to talk, you could’ve just come to my office. Or joined me at a charity function. Or even jumped in front of my car. I’m always open to negotiations; it’s the </span>
  <em>
    <span>proper</span>
  </em>
  <span> way to do things.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pellegrino just smiled and crossed his legs. “Is that so? I didn’t think you had time for small fish like me. You’re Jensen Ackles after all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I am. Most people would say I’ve earned a little more respect than this.” HIs mind raced, still trying to figure out how he’d ended up here. He remembered leaving his office and getting to his car. He remembered heading home and his driver stopping to fuel up. And then…that strange man outside the convenience store….</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Dammit….</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I still don’t see why we couldn’t have handled your issues with my organization in my office. Hell, I would’ve come to your office. There really was no need for such uncivilized behavior. Moles are for the feds.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That attitude. That’s your problem. You think you’re better than everyone else in the business but all you did was inherit an empire.” Pellegrino’s smile vanished. “I’m just a little fish in a big pond, trying to get my fair share of the business.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You want business? Start making deals. Don’t destroy mine.” Jensen scowled, making an intimidating figure despite his position. “Everyone else knows how this game works; you're the only one trying to change the rules.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, maye the rules need to be changed.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen barely had any time to think about what that meant before he felt harsh pain on his back. It came again and this time he heard the unmistakable crack of a whip. He grit his teeth to prevent himself from crying out in pain. He wouldn’t give that bastard the satisfaction.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What the hell are you even trying to accomplish?”</span>
  <span></span>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s simple really: I want what you have. Now, I could play your game, learn all the in and outs and maybe absorb some other factions in the city to get there. Maybe I could even move to a new city and build myself up there. But that would take time, years and years, and I’m not a patient man. So, the secondary option: destroy you and the Ackles name. And you can say this isn’t necessary; I’ve already shaken you with a well-placed mole. But still, with all your money and your frankly uncanny ability to investigate even your best men, that would take time and I’m still not a patient man. So that brings me here to option three: break you. You haven’t declared an heir so if you’re unable to continue your work, who does the position of leader fall to? And even then, without your supposedly expert tutelage, would they be able to keep your work afloat? The in-fighting alone would result in terrible collapse. This leaves a power vacuum and I can just...step in and take care of it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If Jensen wasn’t focused on keeping the pain out of his face, he might’ve had a snarky retort to that little speech. But the whipping had only increased in intensity and it was all he could do not to scream. Still, he couldn’t just leave the man hanging. “Why bring Jared into it then? He’s got </span>
  <em>
    <span>nngh </span>
  </em>
  <span>nothing to do with </span>
  <em>
    <span>hhgnn</span>
  </em>
  <span> my business.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, that. That was a trade-off for a new friend of mine. Massive sadist, perfect for breaking your rich ass. All he wanted in return was his husband back.” Pellegrino stood and walked out of the ring of light. “I’ll be back in a day or two to check on you. Have fun!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen glared after him but soon found his attention drawn elsewhere. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The whipping had stopped. Heavy footsteps circled from behind him and he found himself face to face with the man that haunted his boyfriend’s dreams.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello, Jensen. I’m really looking forward to working with you.” Jed smirked and mockingly held out his hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen returned his smirk and leaned forward as much as he dared. “So am I.” He didn’t have to win. He didn’t have to come out of this intact. He just needed to survive long enough for his men to bust him out and burn Pellegrino to the ground. He could play good hostage until then.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jed’s smile turned more sinister and he walked off into the shadows, presumably to some sort of torture-weapon storage. He came back with a very sharp knife. “Let’s play a game. 20 questions. I’ll ask a question and if I don’t like the answer, I hurt you. How does that sound?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sounds like a party.” He could do this. He’d practically been raised for this. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let’s get started then.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Tuesday</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The hunt begins and so does the pain.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello all!</p><p>I know it's been a hot minute since I updated here so this is just a quite update/explanation.</p><p>School recently started up again so, while I have the house to myself, I am super busy with that so this did fall to the wayside. I also had some minor writer's block in the sense that I knew exactly how I wanted the next part of this story to play out but not sure how to share it. I didn't want to squeeze it all into one chapter in case it felt rushed but I wasn't sure how to divide it up into separate chapters.</p><p>UNTIL NOW!</p><p>The next few chapters are gonna go day by day into the logistics of locating Jensen and the rescue and the details of Jensen's torture and mental state. Note: This will get dark so mind the tags. Also, some chapters will be short (like this one) and some will be much longer so please don't expect consistency from me.</p><p>As always, thank you for reading and giving this story a chance!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>
    <em>Tuesday, 10:15 PM</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"H-his name is Jed Baston. He's my ex-husband and a massive sadist." Jared spoke quietly, eyes fixed on the floor. Sheppard sat in the chair in front of him, looking through security footage from earlier in the day. "The last time I saw him was three years ago. He was arrested for breaking into my apartment. I didn't keep up with him after that so I don't know if he spent time in jail or anything like that. I didn't even know he was in Dallas, honest." He bit his lip, not liking how silent Sheppard was being.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'll look into that myself later but that's not what's important. What's important is finding Jensen and taking care of Pellegrino, which you can leave to me and my men."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Can you?" Jared spoke quietly but firmly. "He has a mole somewhere, probably someone high ranking if they knew enough to fuck with sales…."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"You know about that."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He nodded. "Jensen thought I should know everything about the situation, seeing as my life was potentially in danger."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mark nodded silently. "Right. Well, it's not as if we can do this alone. Pellegrino will be expecting us and he'll be prepared."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared thought for a moment. "I guess calling the police isn't an option."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Even if we could, that doesn't solve the problem of knowing where Jensen is. It's no good to have men and nowhere to send them."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared chewed at his bottom lip. "...Does Pellegrino own property legally?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mark gave him a calculating look. "Probably, at least some of it. What are you thinking?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well, if he doesn't want Jensen found, he'd have him on property he controls. It wouldn't be hard to look that up in public records and see if any of it meets the requirements.” It was a long shot and judging by the look on Mark’s face it was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> long shot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But what else could they do?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...I’ll see what I can find. Why don’t you start some coffee in the meantime? We’re gonna be at this for a while.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Grateful for something to do, Jared practically fled from the room. His mind was flooded with possibilities. Would they find Jensen? How long would it take? What kind of condition would Jensen even be in when they found him?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Tuesday, 10:45 PM</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I asked you a question.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Blood trickled down his cheek from the shallow cut Jed had made earlier. He was bleeding from several other places but for some reason that stood out to him. Of course, he hadn’t properly eaten anything in over twelve hours and he wasn’t exactly staying hydrated so things were probably just going to get weirder in his head. Despite all that, he managed a smirk. “Sorry, didn’t quite catch that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Slap</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let me repeat myself: when was the last time you fucked him?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right, that’s what I thought you said.” He sighed softly, going for nonchalance. “Hate to break up your fantasies but we haven’t gotten that far yet. I usually like to let my partners set the pace on that side of things.” He regretted the smirk when the blade touched his other cheek. He was suddenly very aware of the fact that Jed had let to make any lasting cuts. Always just enough to hurt and bleed, but not quite enough to scar.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>Well, not yet anyway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do wish you’d quit lying to me. Now, next question….”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t I ask you a question? That’s usually how these games work.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe this would finally teach him to keep his mouth shut…..</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Wednesday</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Wednesday, 10:00 PM has some potentially triggering material. If you would like to skip over it, all you need to know is Jensen's torture just ramped up a lot. Some serious torture going on. Not for the faint of heart.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>
    <em>Wednesday, 1:30 AM</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared knew he was supposed to be sleeping. Mark had told him to do so before heading for a guest room himself. But he couldn't. He wasn't tired and he doubted he would be until Jensen was safe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was currently seated in the study, going over every property in the Dallas area that was listed under Pellegrino's name. Logic dictated that Jensen was in one of them. Problem is, there were so many to sort through and he really didn't know much about wannabe mob bosses and how they might torture someone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared took another sip of coffee, grimacing when the cold liquid hit his lips; not even his coffee tasted good cold. But making another cup would have to wait until Mark woke up so he didn't feel like a complete addict. He had work to do anyway. If only it didn't feel like a lost cause. How could he get into Pellegrino's head? Even if he hadn't been a criminal, he had to be insane to work with a guy like Jed-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Wait a fucking minute!</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn't know Pellegrino but he knew Jed. He'd married the bastard for fuck's sake! Sure, it had been a few years but most of it was seared into his memory and it didn’t look like Jed had changed that much. He could work with what he knew about him and figure out some optimal locations that way!</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Right?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Well, it was the best idea he had and he was gonna run with it regardless of its effectiveness. He had to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For Jensen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Wednesday, 6:30 AM</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, too urban. They’d need somewhere quiet….. Maybe that one…. No, too small….”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mark wasn’t sure if he was surprised or not that Jared had not taken his advice and worked all night. In truth, he didn’t sleep much either but at least he’d had Jensen’s business affairs to keep him busy. Reading through financial reports made him want to bash his head in but at least they were boring enough to put him in a sleepy mood.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Stepping into the office, he surveyed Jared’s work. Out of the surprisingly long list of properties he’d pulled together last night, Jared had managed to whittle it down to about seven. Ordinarily, he’d be ecstatic and impressed but that had to wait because the poor boy looked like he was about to keel over. “I told you to get some rest. Jensen’ll have my head if you’re out for the count when he gets back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not tired.” A long yawn quickly contradicted that. “I just couldn’t sleep, not when he’s….”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mark knew that feeling all too well. Rest was never easy when one of your men was out there. “I know it’s hard, mate, but you need rest. It’s a physical thing just as much as it is a psychological one; you won’t be much use to anyone if you’re falling asleep on your feet. You’ve done enough work for now. Bed time.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It took a little more convincing and some heavy lifting (“Would you </span>
  <em>
    <span>try</span>
  </em>
  <span> to walk? You’re too young to be dead weight.”) but Jared allowed himself to be pushed into bed and, predictably, was out like a light. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now, he had some work to do. He needed to check out the properties that Jared had singled out as well as a few others that looked promising. He also needed to do handle Jensen's regular duties and ensure no one suspected anything was off. Well, no one except a small group of trusted individuals. The men of the Inner Circle were loyal and he doubted they would take lately to being left out of the loop here. None of them would've turned and he needed men on the ground while he handed the more tedious tasks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After a few quick texts, he set up in the study and prepared for a day of playing Ackles.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This was going to be a long day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Wednesday, 8:30 AM</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen coughed and startled awake. He was immediately aware that he was wet. And cold. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Very</span>
  </em>
  <span> cold and wet. And naked. Wonderful.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Secondarily, he realized that he'd been moved. His wrists were chained to the floor in front of him, resulting in a very uncomfortable position. But hey, at least he wasn't risking a dislocated shoulder. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thirdly, he realized his tormentor was sitting cross-legged in front of him like it was circle time or some shit. "Can I help you?" he snarked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Not unless you feel like dying."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen rolled his eyes. If he wasn't so dehydrated and physically stressed, he might have a witty comeback. He'd settle for silence for now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Not feeling up to playing today? That's fine; I learned how to play by myself when I was a kid." Jed pulled a wooden paddle out from behind him. "I also learned how to discipline spoiled kids."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Really? </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>I'm </em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>the spoiled one? </span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sat up as much as he could, barely suppressing his groans. "What do </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>need disciplining for? Last I checked, your relationship with Jared fell apart way before I came along."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ah, that struck a nerve. He couldn't even be mad about the black eye he got for it; anything to see a small break in composure. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Shut up. I still have work to do on you. Pellegrino’s paying top dollar for your demise."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And spanking me will do the trick?" He barked out a laugh. “You really are insane.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jed just smiled that creepy smile. “I’m just getting started. By the time I’m done, you’ll be begging for something as nice as a spanking. I’m thinking thirty for a warm up and then we’ll look at your actual punishment. Sound fun?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was rare Jensen got to see a legitimate madman in action. At least Pellegrino did him the honor of getting the best. “Why not? I’ve never really tried masochism before.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-----------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Wednesday, 12:30 PM</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared stumbled into the kitchen after his much-needed nap, grunting in response to Mark’s greeting while he started a new pot of coffee. “Any updates?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not too many in the last few hours. We’ve managed to get the suspected locations down to just four. By the way, good job on getting us to a workable list last night. Much easier than canvasing all of those buildings on our own.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He paused at that, prolonging his reunion with coffee to look at Mark incredulously. “‘We’? Who’s we?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Relax, it’s the inner circle. Not even Jensen would seriously suspect them of betrayal and our leader disappearing is hardly something I can keep from them. No one outside of us knows about this. Now, sit down and drink your coffee. I’ll make you some toast.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He just nodded and sat at the breakfast bar. “Is there anything else I can help with?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mark pet him on the shoulder. “Just rest. Right now we’re just watching and planning; leave it to the professionals. Jensen would want me to keep you out of the thick of it anyway.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He nodded and sipped his coffee. He didn’t like that answer but what else could he do? It’s not like he was a master strategizer or had any experience in hostage removal or any of that. He’d probably just cause problems if he tried to help. Still, he felt useless just sitting here with a cup of coffee while Jensen suffered who knows what torture. But Jensen would want him to sit out. So he would.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I want regular updates. I need to at least know we’re getting closer.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Wednesday, 3:30 PM</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Felicia Day sighed from her watch position. Pellegrino had this old house out on the outskirts of the suburbs and apparently Sheppard thought it was likely Jensen was being held here. Her blood boiled just thinking about the situation they were in but there wasn’t much she could do about it until they had a plan.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was a decent sized house, around 3,000 square feet. Nothing particularly special about it except clearly no one lived there. The only people she’d seen going in or out so far was the cleaning staff and a couple of what were probably goons. All that proved was that something was going on on the property, which meant nothing since there were no indications as to what exactly that was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Right now, gardeners were fixing up the landscaping and it appeared they had free reign to grab refreshments from the house, which the younger crew members took full advantage of. She watched enviously as they got their air conditioning and cold beers while she sat sober and cold in the attic of an abandoned house across the street. At least they were easy on the eyes…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wait…. One of them had just run screaming out of the house. Why? Poor kid was really freaking out too…. He must’ve just seen something he wasn’t supposed to see. Biting her lip, she pulled out of her hiding space and made her way down to street level. Pulling up the hood of her jacket and sliding on her sunglasses, she did her best to look like a regular strolling resident of the neighborhood. If she could get close enough….</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m telling you, there was blood everywhere!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Blood?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shut up, idiot. We get paid good money not to ask questions about what goes on in that house.”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I said, </span>
  <em>
    <span>shut up.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Boss won’t like it if we ask too many questions. Get your gear and get back to work.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Blood meant injuries, which likely meant torture, which is what Sheppard had told them to keep an eye out for. She knew the house had a basement, which would be a good place to carry out such activities with little, if any, disturbance. Of course, in theory, anyone could be down there. It didn’t have to be Jensen. Either way, she knew enough.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When she was a good distance from the house, she pulled out her phone. “Sheppard. I think I got a good one.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Wednesday, 7:30 PM</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mark had the whole Circle in the study. Felicia Day. Mike Rosenbaum. Rob Benedict. Chad Michael Murray. These were people Jensen trusted with his life and now that trust was being put to the test. “Well, what are we looking at?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pretty much everything in the city was a bust. Either a drop-off point or a legitimate business, nothing that could be a cover for torture,” Rob started. “Even if it were, it’d be too easy to attack. It’s gotta be one of the ones out of town.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“None of my locations fit the bill,” Chad complained. “Either too quiet or way too much going on. One of them didn’t even have guards.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I got duds too. Looked like newbie training locations,” Mike chipped in.</span>
  <span></span>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>All eyes turned to Felicia. “He’s got a house in the suburbs,” she started. “Real quiet, looks uninhabited. I didn’t think it was anything special but one of the gardeners when in for a drink and found more than he bargained for. No idea what he saw but he said something about a lot of blood. It’s a quiet area but it’s full of residents, so not something we can easily attack. It does have a basement where he could carry out the fucked up shit and not be bothered by anybody. It looks like our best bet.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Of course it’d be a house in the suburbs. Pellegrino was smart, Mark had to give him that much. This was hardly a location they could pull up on an attack like a regular raid. It would take stealth and far smaller numbers than he had wanted to go at this with. If anything went wrong, the civilian residents would have the cops on them and then Jensen would really be screwed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Goddammit.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Goddammit all.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right then team; anybody got a plan?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-----------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Wednesday, 10:00 PM</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Thirsty. Jensen was very thirsty. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And hungry. But mostly thirsty.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s been at lead 24 hours since he’s had any liquids, a fact that was not helped by the fact that he’d lost quite a bit of blood yesterday and he spent a good chunk of this morning being spanked. He didn’t cry, but there were a few screams in there. After the spankings, he was punished for screaming with little stabs all over his torso and one or two on his face. He knew those were going to leave a scar of some sort, especially if he didn’t get them cleaned soon. He was pretty sure that would happen anyway.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was hard to be sure of a lot of things when you were very, very thirsty.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jed was somewhere. Jensen wasn’t sure where. But he’d left a bottle of water in his line of sight (one of those nice big refillable ones) and it had a siren’s call. Unfortunately, he was still chained to the floor so even if it was a siren, he couldn’t go to her. Or him. Did sirens have a gender? Jared would probably know. Jared was smart and he knew weird facts like that. He’d have to ask him about that later.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But right now, he was thirsty. A part of him was glad for the chain so he couldn’t lunge at the bottle like a wild animal. That would hurt him more than anything.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How are we doing, Jennyboy?” He growled at that nickname but his throat was so dry it came out more like a hiss. A sad, small boy hiss. Maybe he’d overestimated Jed’s want to draw this out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Still not talking to me?” Jed continued after a moment of silence. “That’s alright; I don’t like the sound of your voice anyway.” He proceeded to grab the bottle and drink out of it with exaggerated sighs of contentment between each drink.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Bastard.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, where are my manners? Would you like some water?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He knew it was a trap. He shouldn't say yes to this. That would be a dumb thing to do.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dehydrated Jensen was a stupid bitch. “I could have a drink if you’ve got one,” was all he was able to get out before a coughing fit hit him. Everything burned when he coughed. He hated this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How could I refuse such a nice request?” Jed gave him that stupid smile again and Jensen knew he was in for trouble.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, he was on his back, causing the cuffs on his wrists to dig into his skin even more and probably left a massive bruise where he hit the floor. Jed was straddling him and held his chin in a death grip. “Open wide….” He forced Jensen’s mouth opened and poured the water directly into his mouth. Any relief this might’ve brought was quickly overruled by the fact that he was essentially drowning in a cascade of water. Anything he tried to cough out was just replaced by more and more and more. He couldn’t breath. He couldn’t breathe. Oh fuck he can’t breathe hecan’tbreathfuckfuckfuckcan’tBREATHE-</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The weight was gone and he managed to get onto his side, heaving up every last trace of water that had gone into his system, along with whatever food hadn’t properly digested yet. Panting, he lay in a puddle of what was basically water and stomach acid and he couldn’t stop dry heaving. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everything hurt. He felt like shit and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it and things only promised to get worse. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hell. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He was in Hell.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Thursday</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Okay this one is a little shorter than usual and it's more of a part 1 than its own chapter but things happen after the end of this chapter that I feel really belong in their own chapter so that's what I'm doing.</p><p>Hope you like it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>
    <em>Thursday, 12:25 AM</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared stormed into the office just as they were finishing their meeting. "I want in."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mark groaned. He did not need this, not right now. "Absolutely not. This is going to be hard enough without civilian interference and, Inner Circle or not, Jensen will have our heads if you get hurt on our watch." Based on the hard stares everyone was sending Jared's way, they were in agreement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"I'm not saying I want to storm the house or anything. I know I'm useless in a fight. But I can't just sit here and do nothing. I need to be there for him, even if it’s just waiting outside.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mark shared a look with the Inner Circle. He already knew what they thought: bringing an inexperienced civilian would only cause problems. He’d also gotten a first hand look at how stubborn Jared could be. He hated making decisions like this. “...You stay in the van, you’re armed, and no playing hero. We’ll handle getting Jensen out of there.” He knew he’d get shit from the others later but this seemed like the least risky option.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seemingly satisfied, Jared nodded. “When are we leaving?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> “2:30 sharp. If you keep us waiting, we leave without you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fair.” With that, he left the room, presumably to get ready for their departure.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sheppard-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Rosey, it was that or risk him following us and getting himself killed. We both know Jensen would have us skinned alive if that happened. Now, let’s go over this one more time….”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Thursday, 2:30 AM</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen was pulled out of a fitful dream by loud growling from his stomach. Funny; somehow in the last 48 hours he’d forgotten to eat. Well, more lie he forgot food was a thing because of how many other distractions his gracious host had provided him. He’d have to hire Jed for his next party.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Blinking away the sleep, he did his best to prop himself up on his arms. He noticed he wasn’t chained to the floor anymore though his wrists were still bound with handcuffs. His legs were free, not that he really felt like moving them. He didn’t feel like moving much of anything, truthfully. His arms were shaking just holding him up on his elbows and he doubted his legs would do much better. He was hungry, thirsty, probably a little sleep deprived too. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A bright light turned on suddenly and he brought up one of his hands to block it, which had the unfortunate effect of making him fall flat on his back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, Jed, I’m impressed. You really did do a number on him. Just two days and he can’t even sit up.” Jensen scowled when Pellegrino stepped into the light but he doubted it was very effective. He was right. Just two days and everything hurt  and he felt like shit and he was getting really impatient with his crew.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s what you’re paying me for. He’s not quite broken yet though, so I might need another day.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No worries. I can be patient for a little while longer; I just want to make a point.” Pellegrino grinned sadistically down at him and delivered a swift kick to his gut ‘for old time’s sake’. “Do you mind if I watch you at work? I’m very curious as to how you’re handling it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Go ahead. I don’t mind an audience.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen bit back a hiss when Jed pulled him up by the hair. He didn’t say a word when Jed sat down in front of him and pulled a sandwich out of his bag. “Hope you don’t mind me eating; I missed dinner last night.” It was a shitty Subway 6 inch but it smelled heavenly. His mouth watered involuntarily but he needed to stay cool. He couldn’t give in, not now, not in front of </span>
  <em>
    <span>him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is that it?” Pellegrino seemed unimpressed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. Patience is the key. Just keep watching.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen swallowed hard. This was going to be a </span>
  <em>
    <span>very </span>
  </em>
  <span>bad day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>---------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Thursday, 3:15 AM</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was quiet outside the van. Quiet inside too but Jared was trying to ignore that for his own sanity. He held his glock in a death grip, watching the other’s prepare for infiltration. He was a little surprised he was allowed to come along but her certainly wasn't complaining. He just wanted to be there for Jensen.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Shit." Felicia Day scowled from her seat. "Looks like Pellegrino decided to visit. We have more people to deal with than we thought." </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Her observation was met with a chorus of grumbles and cursing. This did not bode well for their rescue mission.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Well...technically we have enough to take them-"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Absolutely not!" Sheppard cut Robert short before he could say the Forbidden Tactic. "We are not bringing that moose along."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"Why not? We need the extra manpower."</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>"And what do we do when he gets himself hurt? Or what if he needs to shoot someone and he can't?"</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared frowned slightly. He never liked being talked about when he was sitting right there. “I-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, you’re staying here and that’s final.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sheppard, think about this.” Rosenbaum spoke up this time. “We’re dealing with more people than expected and I doubt he’s completely useless. If nothing else he can bring the intimidation factor. Besides, you know we’ll cover him.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...I’ve had some combat training,” Jared muttered. Aside from Katie’s lessons, he’d also taken plenty of self-defense classes when he was on the run. “If you really think I won’t be a liability, I want to help.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Mark looked between all of them, seemingly realizing this was a losing battle for him. “...Stick with Rosenbaum and try not to get killed. Follow our lead and no playing hero. We get in, do some damage, grab Jensen, and get out. Clear?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Crystal.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright. Let’s roll out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>----------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Thursday, 3:20 AM</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One of the great things about private property is being able to do whatever you want to it. Mark Pellegrino was very proud of the soundproof basement on this house. It let him carry out whatever activities he needed while keeping the illusion of being a normal homeowner that just went on trips a lot. Of course, one disadvantage would be that he couldn’t hear anything that happened outside but that’s what bodyguards were for. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But thoughts like that would only distract him from watching the spectacle of Jed’s torture so he decided not to worry about that. Right now, Jensen was doing his best not to scream in pain while Jed carved a few choice words into his flesh. ‘Bitch’, ‘Daddy’s Boy’, and ‘Poser’ were Pellegrino’s choices, but Jed was free to add whatever he wanted. He could see Jensen’s muscles straining with the need to fight back but being strapped to a table the way he was made that basically impossible.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was good to be on top.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wait.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What was that sound?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The door blasted open before he had the chance to ponder that anymore and the next thing he knew, he was being held down by two pairs of very skilled hands. He couldn’t see what was going on on Jed’s side of the room but based on the shouts it probably wasn’t good. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This did not bode well.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>-----------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>Thursday, 3:22 AM</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Noise. Noises. Shouting. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Pain. Pain. Pain.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen was in pain. So, so much pain.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But it felt like the knife stopped, so that was a good thing. He did not like the knife. Or the guy that used it. Both were bad. Very bad.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The shouting was also bad. He had a headache. They needed to be quieter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Someone was being very quiet. They got him out of the straps and wrapped him in something warm (blanket? blanket) and whispered nice things like ‘It’s okay” and ‘We’ve got you’ in his ear. He liked this person. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can you open your eyes for me? I need you conscious right now Jensen.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Right. Open eyes. He couldn’t remember closing them but they definitely were closed. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Jared standing over him, looking for all the world like an angel. “There you are. Can you sit up or do you need help?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen couldn’t really speak but he could sit up (kind of) so he did. He saw his Inner Circle there, standing over Pellegrino and the other guy (Jeff? Jason? Jed?), who were both tied and gagged. It was suddenly very quiet in the room, which was good for his headache. He cleared his throat, figuring it was probably time for him to say something.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Put the sadist in special holding. I want to handle him myself.” He could feel how dry his throat was and he didn’t even want to think about what he sounded like. But that didn’t seem to matter to his crew. He should send them fruit baskets or something after this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And Pellegrino?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Make an example of him.” With that, he leaned on Jared, who was warm and soft and gave hugs that made him feel safe. He was only distantly aware of the fact that he was bleeding and thirsty and hungry and sleep-deprived. He felt himself being lifted up in Jared’s arms (his boyfriend was so strong) and heard someone say something about a doctor (he probably did need one) but he didn’t really care at the moment. He felt safe and warm and Jared was still whispering nice things, which he appreciated even if it was probably just to keep him awake. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Love you,” he slurred before drifting into blissful unconsciousness. He thought he heard Jared sounding worried but he was fine.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Everything was fine now.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0021"><h2>21. Chapter 21</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Tying up some loose ends.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>OKAY WAIT DON'T READ THE STORY READ THIS FIRST!!!!!</p><p>Hi, hello, welcome to the notes.</p><p>So, this is the end of this part of the story but I'm going to add more to it as a part of a series. This series will include Jensen's journey of healing (ft. Mother Hen Jared), the Private Island Getaway (ft. Spicy Times), FBI interference, a wedding, some more backstory on Jensen, and more! I could technically put all of that here but I'd rather have them act as their own stories.</p><p>Thank you to everyone that read this story and kept me going when writer's block really had me down. All of your comments and kudos brought me much joy and I can't wait for you to read the rest of it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <span>Two months later:</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jensen was calm despite the death grip Jared had on his hand. He could hardly blame the man; anyone would be tense when facing their abuser and Jensen had been against him coming at all because of it. But Jared insisted on seeing him just this once. Something about wanting closure. He couldn’t deny his boyfriend anything so here they were, seeing Jed one last time. Jared would likely only be there for a few minutes; Jensen had plans of his own.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One of the great things about Texas was how much land was just open space. The kind of open space where a man like Jensen could buy an old farm and fix it up for his own uses and no one would even notice. He had more than one of these locations but they were rarely used except in special cases. Jed was a very special case indeed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He opened the door and there he was, the man of the hour. Jed was tied to a chair, still unconscious but no obvious marks on him. Good; Jensen would take care of that on his own. Jared’s grip got impossibly harder and he just squeezed back in encouragement. “He’s not gonna hurt you,” he murmured. “You don’t have to do this.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes. I do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He let go of Jared’s hand and walked over to Jed. After a few moments of deliberation, he decided to splash cold water on the bastard as a wake-up call. Revenge was oh so very sweet. “Kind of you to join me, Sleeping Beauty,” he taunted as Jed sputtered awake. “I’m sorry I kept you waiting for so long but I wanted to be able to do this properly. You know, kind of like a tribute to your skill.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jed’s scowl shifted into a smirk when he saw Jared standing off to the side. “Hey, babe. It’s good seeing you again. Did you miss me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared’s jaw tensed and he shook his head. “Can’t say I have. Been a little busy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah, you did that whole coffee shop thing. Guess you don’t need that anymore since you’re fucking the richest guy in town. How much does he pay for that-” Jensen punched his jaw before he could finish.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’d recommend keeping your mouth shut if I were you. You’re already in for a world of hurt and I have no objection to adding more.” He really couldn’t afford to if they were going to make their flight on time but Jed didn’t know that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared surprised both of them by stepping closer. “You know, of all the things I came to understand about you, the one thing I never got was why. Why do the things you did to me? Why focus on me? Why stalk me all over the country after I finally got free? Why couldn’t you just leave me alone?” His voice broke but he swiftly recovered, swallowing hard and taking a deep breath. “Seeing you now...I don’t think it matters. No matter what your answer would be, if you gave me one at all, it wouldn’t change what happened. You still scarred me in ways that can’t be healed and took things from me that I can’t get back. I would’ve had a perfectly happy life without you even talking to me ever and words cannot fully express how much disdain I have for you. Really, my only consolation in this whole mess is knowing that after today, you’ll never be able to hurt anyone else. The only reason I came here was to tell you that you won’t be missed, not really. I won’t miss you, neither will Jensen. Pellegrino might’ve missed you but he’s already dead so he doesn’t count. And anyone from our hometown won’t miss you, they’ll miss the fake person you told them you were. It makes me less depressed knowing that I can stop looking over my shoulder when I leave this room. My only wish is that before you die, you experience the same amount of pain and hopelessness and worthlessness you saw fit to make me feel every day.” At this point, he stood directly in front of Jed, towering over his seated position. “I hope you rot in hell, you rotten piece of shit.” With that, he turned and left, looking like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When the door closed behind him, Jensen took off his tie and suit jacket, draping them over a chair, and grabbed a hunting knife from his Table of Tools. “Well, now that that’s over with...I think it’s time for us to have our own little talk, don’t you? Not that you’ll be doing much talking; I prefer my torture partners to scream.” With a shark-like grin, he pressed the tip of his knife into Jed’s collarbone. “If only I had more than a few hours with you…. The things I could do….”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>------------</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared sat in the passenger seat of the Impala. To anyone passing by, he would look like he pulled over to sort out his GPS. Seeing as he was actually on the verge of having a panic attack, that was fine by him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He never should’ve come. He should’ve known seeing Jed again would have this effect on him. Sure, he acted calm in the moment but his heart had been going about a million miles a minute and he probably would’ve had a breakdown right there if Jensen hadn’t been there. Just seeing his face brought back memories he never wanted to revisit and jostled a few things he’d repressed over the years. He felt like a mess and sitting alone wasn’t helping matters.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Time ceased to have all meaning so he’s not sure how much had passed when Jensen got in the car but he noticed the sun had moved a bit so it was probably a few hours. He also noticed Jensen had changed his shirt and lost his tie. “Is he….?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A nod. “I’ve made the arrangements. No one will find the body.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared nodded, turning to face out the window as Jensen started the car. They were headed for the airport now, taking a vacation. A special, just the two of them vacation to a remote island Jensen owned. His boyfriend owned an island. How was this his life?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You feeling okay?” It was so quiet he barely heard it. He almost nodded just to get it over with but he couldn’t lie to Jensen. Not about this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. I feel like shit. I thought seeing him again would make me feel better, like if I could just say everything I wanted to say then that’d be the end of it and I could...move on I guess. Somehow I feel worse.” He chuckled humorlessly. “Maybe you were right and I should’ve waited in the car or at the airfield.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe. Or maybe you need more than two hours to feel better after everything you went through with him.” Jensen carefully laid his hand over Jared’s in the middle of the bench seat. “I can’t pretend I know what’s going on in your head right now and I can’t promise it’ll get better any time soon but...I think this was good for you. You’ll never have to wonder about what-ifs and you can go forward knowing you said your piece. It’ll work out.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I really wish I had your confidence on this one.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry; I’ve got a little to spare.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jen….” He ducked his head but it was too late.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is that a smile I saw?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, because you’re supposed to be watching the road.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Very. Now drive. I wanna ride in your private plane.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Needy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You love it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jared smirked, sitting back in the seat. Maybe things really were looking up.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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